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^ai'barD iSTolig:^^ Hibrarg 




FROM THE Be4 

JOHN HARVE 



TREAT 



[ASS. 



I 



A SECOND THEBAID. 



A SECOND THEBAID. 



petmf0du Superforum: 

J.M.I 

Fr. Raynaldus Maria a S. Justo, Praepositus Genbralis 
Fratrum Discalceatorum Ordinis Bmae, Virginis 
Mariae de Monte Carmelo, Ejusdemque S. Montis 
Prior, 

Cum opus cui titulus— " A Second Thebaid,*' — ab adm. Rev. P. 
Patritio a Sto. Joseph Sacerdote Professo Nostras Provinciac 
Hiberniae compositum, duo e nostris Theologis examinaverint, 
nihilque in eo offenderint, quod Catholicae Fidei et bonis moribus 
adversetur, licentiani) quantum ad nos attinet, concedimus ut typis 
edatur, servatis omnibus de jure servandis. 

In quorum fidem, &c. 
Datum Romae ex aedibus nostris Generalitiis 
Die 27 Aprilis, 1903. 

L * S. F. Raynaldus Ma. a S. Justo, 

Praep. Genlis. 

Fr. Elias a Matre Misericordiae, 
Seer. 

fUbfl^b0tat: 

THOMAS MAGRATH, S.T.D., 
Censor IheoL DeptU, 

imprimatur : 

41 GULIELMUS, 
ArchUpUcopus Dublingmis, Hibtmiae Primas, 



{copyright, 1904, BY THE AUTHOR,) 




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"A SECOND THEBAIC :" 

BEING A POPULAR ACCOUNT OF THE 

ANCIENT MONASTERIES OF 

IRELAND. 



BT 

THE REV. JAMES P. RUSHE, O.D.C., 

Author of ** Onnel inlrelaad.** 



ILLUSTRATED, 



DubUn : 

SEALY, BRYERS AND WALKER 
M. H. GILL & SON 

Xon^ott: 

BURNS AND GATES 

fiew Sotfi» Cincfmiatf and CUcaoo: 

BENZIGER BROTHERS 
1905 



A 



OCT 21 1919' 



PKINTKD BY 

SBALY, BRYERS AND WALKER| 

MIDDLE ABBEY STREET, 

DUBLIN. 



"S. ELIAE PROPHETAE 

Catmelitarum (PtMnis 

FUNDATORI." 



PREFACE 



We arc told that Irdand was known as "A Second 
Thebaid " even in the earlier ages of Christianity ; and 
that the number and fame of the religious institutions 
throughout the country further established the nation's 
daim to so glorious a title in after times. But this 
daim seems to have been n^lected by later generations^ 
owing chiefly^ perhaps^ to the want of information^ in 
narrative form^ concerning very many of our andent 
monasteries. In the hope of reviving an interest in a 
title highly revered by our ancestors, I have undertaken 
to supply this want from the various sources of 
Irish Monastic History : tdling as simply as I possibly 
can what I have read about those numerous homes of 
holiness and learning — suppressed, for the most part, 
by the end of the sixteenth century. 

Although the scope of my task is, strictly speaking, 
limited to the foundations dating from the great revival 
of Monastidsm in the Irish Church ; still the subject 
could hardly be considered complete without some 
reference to our more andent sanctuaries, and to thdr 
saintly foimders. The first three chapters are, accord- 
ingly, devoted to this purpose ; in order that the reader 
may, also, have an opportunity of judging how Ireland 
became entitled, in the beginning, to be recognised as 

"another Thebaid.*^ 

J. P. R, 

' " Histoire Monastiqoe d'lrlande." (Alemand : Paris, 1690), p. 4. 



PLATES. 



J I. The Rbligious Orders . . Frontispiece 

^ II. St. Patrick's Vision . . Facing p. i6 

^ III. A " Desert " . . ...,,. 42 

M IV. Glendalough . . . . . . „ ,.64 

. V. Clonmacnoise . . . . „ ,.83 

* VI. Mellifont Abbey . . . . „ „ 102 

^VII. Ruins AT Cashel .. .... ..122 

^ VIII. KlLMALLOCK FrIARY . . . . .... „ I46 

IX. Ruins at Ennis .. .. .... ,,170 

-X. KiLCONNELL .. .. .... ,, 192 

4 XI. Father Thomas Aquinas of Jesus, O.D.C.*,, „ 210 

- XII. Brother Angelus of St. Joseph, O.D.C* „ „ 224 

, XIII. Brother Peter of the Mother of God, 

O.D.C* .. .. 246 

, XIV. " The Abbey," Loughrea . . .... .. 260 

^ XV. Map of " Monastic Ireland " . . „ „ 268 



♦ From oil-paintings — eariy XVIII. century — ^in the monastery 
of the Discalced Carmelites at Piacenza. 



CONTENTS. 



Preface 



PAGB 

viL 



CHAPTER I. 

MONASTICISM IN THE EARLY IRISH CHURCH. 

The Thebaid, Higher and Lower, as a monastic retreat— The 
*' Famons Hermits of Carmel " — St. EUas and his followers — 
The *< Fathers of the Desert "—Mission of St. Palladius to 
Ireland — ^The power of the Druids — ^Asceticism among the 
first Irish Christiana— St. Patrick's Apostolate — Origin of our 
Ancient Monastic Schools— The vatioos Roles — Irish Saints — 
The Monks and the Danes — Effects of monastic zeal . 1-12 

CHAPTER n. 

THE TWELVE HOLY FOUNDERS. 

St. Patrick— The See and School of Armagh— St. Ailbe of Emlv- 
St. Dedan of Ardmore — St Colamba and " Derry Colnmkille ^' — 
St. Comgal of Bangor — St Carthach of Usmore — St Moloa of 
Clonfert-Mulloe— St Mochta of Louth— St Finnian of Clonard 
-^t Colambanus — Bobbio and Luxeuil — St. Ciaran of Clon- 
macnoise— St. Brendan, "The Voyager,"— The School of 
Clonfert— fit. Jarlath of Tuaro— St. Ita— " The Mary of the 
Gael' 13-30 

CHAPTER III. 

SOME OF OUR MORE ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. 

Origin of these many venerable Shrines — ^The Ancient Abbeys of 
the County Dublin — In County Kildare— County Westmeath — 
County Wicklow — County Wexford — County Kilkenny — County 
Carlow — County Leitrim — King's County— -Queen's County- 
County Meath — County Longford — County Louth — County 
Armagh — County Down — County Antrim — County Derry — 
County Donegal — County Tyrone— County Fermanagh — County 
Monaghan — County Cavan — County Waterford — County Cork 
— County Limerick — County Tipperary — County Keny— 
County Clare — County Galway — County Mayo— ^unty Ros- 
common — County Sligo 31-56 



CX)NTENTS. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE CANONS REGULAR. 

The Constitation of this Order — Revival of Monasdcism in the Irish 
Church — ^Foundations made for the Canons Regular in Dublin 
—At Lncan — Inispatrick — Castleknock — Kilrushe — ^Naas — 
Great Connall — Leixlip — Ferns — Selsker — Down — ^Ennis- 
oorthy — ^Kilkenny — Inistioene — Kells— Fertagh — Old Leighlin 
— Atnmacart — Dnieek — Clonard— Colpe — ^Navan — ^Newtown 
— Ballyboggan — Ratoath — ^Mullingar — ^Iristemagh— Inisaingan 
— Deirg —Louth — ^Knock — ^Armagh — Saul — ^Bangor — Kells — 
Dungiven — Lisgool — Waterford — Cork — Ballybeg — Bridge- 
town — ^Tullclash---Weeme — Corbe of O'Mollaggie — Limerick — 
Rathkeale — - Kynnethin — Inislaunacht — ^Atha^el — ^Nenagh — 
Cahir — Carrick-on-Suir — Rathboy — Clare — Inisnaeananagh — 
Aughrim — ^Abbeygormogan — Enaghdune — BallintoDber — Gross 
— Annagh — ^Lisduff— Derane — ^Killmore — ^The Nunneries of the 
Order : Dublin— Grace-Dieu—" Sainte Marie del Dam "— Kill- 
. deeheen — Athaddy — Clonard — Termon-Fechin — Timolin — 
Graney — ^Killeigh— Odder — ^Limerick— Lismullen—Moyagh . 57-72 

CHAPTER V. 

THE NORBEBTINBS. 

St Norbert at PrAnontr6— The White Canons of Tuam— Annagfa- 
down — Trinity Island (the Annals of Loughkee) — ^Bewely — 
Athmoy — Kilruisse — Louehouter — Woodbom — ^The Gilbertines 
of Ballymore— De Lacys Ambition — ^The Invaders and the 
Monks—*' St. Mary's of the Hill," Galway— The Annals of 
West Connaught — ^Norbertine Zeal. 73-85 

CHAPTER VI. 

THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLER OF ST. JOHN. 

Milituv Orders in the Church — ^The Templars — Their Suppression^ 
The Hosmtallers of St. John— The Knights of Our Lady of 
Cannel — The Templars m Ireland — Kilmainham Prioiy — ^The 
Commandeiy of Clontarf— The Anglo-Normans and the 
Templars— The Commandeiy of Killsuan — Kilmainhambeg-— 
KUmainhamwood — KilUbegs — Killhill — Tully— Kilbarry — 
Killure — Crooke — ^KiUunkart — Rhincrew — Moume — Clonaul — 
Temple House — Killarge — Ballymoon — ^Wexford — Killdoghan 
— ^Ballyhack— Castlebuoy — ^Any — Galway and Kinalekin. . S6-99 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE ORDER OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. 

The Founders— Their Vocation— The Trinitarians in Dublin — ^Action 
of this Community in the time of Henry VI IL — ^Kells— Dundalk 
— Down— KUkenny-West- Droffheda ("St Mai/s*'— '* St. 
LaurenceV— "St. John V* )— Newtown — Ardee— Athy— 
Castledermot — Randown — Cork— Cashel— Galway — Limerick 
-^Adare : Heroism of the Friars of this house at Uie Suppres- 
sion 100-109 



CONTENTS. xi 

CHAPTER VIII. """ 

THE BENBDICTINBS. 

The Religions Life in the West — Marvellous success of the Bene- 
dictine Rale — ^Downpatrick Abbey — Other Foundations of the 
Irish Benedictines : Ardes — Grjnach-Carrig — Neddnun — 
Kilcomin — Waterford — Cork — ^Fore and Indunore — ^The Bene- 
dictine nunneries of Ireland — Origin of the varions monastic 
titles and offi ces T he Chorch and clan&tial buildings . 1 10-123 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE CISTERCIANS. 

St Robert's retreat at Citeaux — His disciples and successors — St. 
Bernard and St. Malachy CMoore — ^Toe Cistercians in Ireland 
— ^Foundations at Dublin — ^Monkstown — ^Monasterevin — Melli- 
font — Bective — Beaubeo — KiUbeggan — Baltinglass — Monaster- 
nenagh — Abbeyfeal — Abbingdon-Wotbney — Atblone — Boyle 
— Grelacdinach — Druimconaid — Bunfinna — Shruel — Lerrha— 
Odomey — Newry — Inniscourcy — Gray Abbey — Cumber — 
Movcosc^uin — Hlllfothuir — Ashroe — Dunbrody — Tintem — 
Abbeyleix — Dousk— ^erpoint — ^Fennoy — Maure — Middleton — 
Nenay — ^Tracton — Inchrie — Hore — Glandy — Holy Cross— 
Inislannacht — Kilcooly — Abbeyknockmoy — Clare IsUmd— 
Corcnmroe — Killshane — ^The Cistercian nunneries of Down and 
I>crry 124-143 

CHAPTER X. 

THE DOMINICANS. 

St Dominic's vocation and zeal — The Friars Preachers — Monas- 
teries of the Order established in Dublin — Drogheda — ^Kilkenny 
— ^Thomastown — ^Thomback — Rossbercon — Waterford — Lime- 
rick— Sixmile Bri(^e — ^Ballynegall — ^Killmallock — Cork — Glan- 
oie — Yonghal — Castle Lyons — ^Mullingar — ^Athenry — ^Kilcor- 
ban — ^Tombeola — Galway — Portumna — Cashel — Cloimiel — 
Lorrah — Tralee — ^Newtown — Gola — Coleraine— Deny — Slijfo 
— Cloonjrmeachan — ^Knockmore — ^Ballindune — Strade — Buns- 
hoole — Rathbran — Urlare — Athy — Naas — Roscommon — 
Twemonia — Qonshanvil — Knockvicar — ^Tulsk — ^Trim — Arklow 
— Cavan— drlingford — ^Aghaboe — Lon^ord — Armagh— Qon- 
mines. — The Dominican Nuns in Ireland . 144- 1^ 

CHAPTER XI. 

THE ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS. 

The Apostolate of Holy Poverty:— The Seraph of Assisi — Influences 
of the Franciscan Spirit— TbeThird Order — Franciscan Founda- 
tions at Dublin — ^Kilkenny — ^Athlone — ^Multifenian — Dysart-^ 
— Wicklow— Wexford- Ross— Enniscorthy — Kilcullen — Kil- 
dare— Clane — Castledermot — ^Killeigh — Monisteroras — Trim 
— ^Ardagh— Ball^nasaggard — Balegruaircy — ^Youghal— Cork — 
Timoleagne — Kilcrea — Buttevant — Bantxy— Castlelyons — Inis- 
kieran—Carrickbeg— Waterford — ^Ennis-— Quin — Limerick — 
Adare—AskeatoD—Ballynabiahir— Cashel 170-190 



Xii CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE FRANCISCANS — (Continued). 

The Friary of Clonmel — Nenagh — ^Ardfinian — Roscrea— Galbally — 
Killinenallah — Muckross Abbey — ^Ardfert — Lislaghtin — Glare- 
Galway — Boileau-Clair — Galway — Kilconnell — Athenry — 
Rosserilly — Ross — Kenalehan — Enagbdune — Sleushancogh — 
Teaghsaxon — Isles of Arran — Meelick — Cloghin-Cantaalaig — 
FalUc— Clonkeen — Cloon^omage — ^Templemo^le — Kiltullagh 
— Beagh — Eilbonght — Killlne — Bondina — Kilcorban — Ros- 
common — Bealaneney — Elphin — Moyne — Rosserick — Bogh- 
moyen — Strade — " Mods Pietatis " — Creevelea or Ballyroarke — 
BaUegaaror — ^Thacineling— Jamestown — Drogheda — Dundalk 
— Carrickfexgus — ^Bonamargy — Massarene — I^mbcg — Glenarm 
— Invernaile — Down — Ardicnise — Dromore — Hollywood — 
Bangor — Ardagh — ^Killslere — Cavan — Donegal — Ross Rial — 
Killmackrenan — Bellagan — Ballymacsweeny — Macheribeg — 
Killodonnell — Killybegs — ^Fanegarag — Dcrry — Dangannon — 
Ballinasaghart — Corrock — Gervagh-Kerin — Pubbal — Omagh 
— Lisgool — Monaghan — ^The Poor Clares of Galway . 191-211 

CHAPTER XIII. 

THE AUGUSTINIANS. 

Pope Alexander IV. and the Hermits of St. A^gastine — ^The Order 
in Ireland : Dablin — Drogheda — Ross — Clonmines — ^Wexford 
— Callan— Tnllagh— Naas— Skrine— The Island of All Saints— 
Dungarvan — Cork — Killagh — Limerick — Adaire — Any — 
Tipperary — Fethard — Galway — Danmore — Ballinrobe — Mor- 
risk — Borriscarra — Ballyhaunis — Innistormor — ^Erew — Ardnary 
— Bennada — Ballysadare — Mncknoe — Clones — ^The Augus- 
tinian Nuns of Dublin and Galway 212-226 

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE ORDER OF CARMEL. 

Historical Descent of the Carmelites— The " Primitive Rule"— The 
Teresian Reform — Carmel in Ireland — Foundations : Dublin — 
Kildare— Cloncurry — Athboy — Ardee — Drogheda — Leighlin- 
Bridge — Little-Horton — Ardnacrana — Fnuokford — Knockto- 
pher— Kilkenny — RathmuUen — Cork — Castlelyons — Kinsale — 
Thurles — Ballywilliam — ^Ballinegall — ^Limerick— Clare- Island — 
Bomiscarra — Ballinismale — ^Knockmore — Crevebane — ^Pallice — 
Galway — Loughrea — ^The Teresian Nuns in Ireland . . 227-250 

CHAPTER XV. 

SUPPRESSION OF THE IRISH MONASTERIES. 

WycUffe and the Monks— The Feudal System— The Black Plague— 
EmjMirkment — " Fosterage " in Ireland — King Henry's Revolt 
— Irish Loyalty to the Faith — ^The Supremacy Test — Some 
after-effects of the Suppression — ^The Testimony of Protestant 
Historians — ^The Monasteries as Schools — The Fate of the Poor 
— Vandalism of the Royal Agents — ^The End . . 251-268 

Indbx 269-291 



A SECOND thebaid; 



CHAPTER I. 

MONASTICISM IN THE EAXLY IRISH CHURCH. 

That vast wilderness in Egypt known as the Thebaid 
(Higher and Lower — the former including Tabenne, a 
little above the first cataract of the Nile) was made 
immortal by the sanctity of a great multitude of people 
who lived there in the very first ages of the Oiristian 
era. They had been drawn thither by the wondrous 
attraction of the Cross, a stumbling block to the pride 
of human wisdom, so intolerant of this new doctrine 
which was thus more perfectly put in practice by the 
followers of the Crucified. For the Saviour's own 
death on Calvary gave an entirely different significance 
to penance and humble submission to the Higher Will ; 
and the hearts of many, long yearning for some better 
hope, found peace and contentment in obeying those 
precepts totally opposed to the very inclinations which 
men are least willing to restrain. The world at large^ 
ever slow to take this lesson to heart, did not grow 
more eager now, when in the light of Christian Faith 
thousands of earnest men and women, fearful of their 
own weakness and of the perils of this life, fied to those 
Eastern Deserts ; ^ in order to carry out the teaching 
of their Divine Master — devoting themselves unceasingly 

1 *'The Monks of the West." (MonUlembert : London, i86l), vol. i., 

P- 314. 

B 



2 A SECOND THEBAID. 

to the exercise of mortification and prayer. The 
memory of many of them is commemorated in the 
Church ; while countless others, whose names do not 
appear in our Calendars, are venerated and invoked 
among the myriads of unknown Saints. 

Of course the world, seeing itself forsaken by even 
its own once favoured votaries, condemned this " folly 
of the Cross " ; and persecutions arose against the holy 
solitaries, numbers of whom were called upon to shed 
their blood in testimony of the Christian Faith. And 
such were the victories then achieved for the Church 
by those her fervent children, that the hearts of the 
Faithful throughout Christendom thrill with pious 
emotion to the present day at mere mention of the name 
of the Thebaid. 

This flight of God's servants from the world had been 
foreshadowed under the Dispensation of the Old Law, 
when the more fervent of the Faithful of Israel lived 
up to the mystical sign of Circumcision, studying to 
keep their hearts detached from the things that pass 
with time. They, too, lived away from their fellow- 
men among the mountains and in desert places, sancti- 
fying themselves by the duty of prayer, while awaiting 
the fulfilment of that Divine promise which implied 
the Redemption of the human race. Mount Carmeli 
in Palestine, became the chosen retreat of many of 
these devout hermits ; because the Prophet Elias abode 
there, and he was their master in the spiritual life.* 
Such were the virtues practised by that ** Man of God " 
and his school of " the famous hermits of Carmd * 
that the very mountain itself came to be regarded as 
the type of exalted sanctity. Prayer and zeal were 
the characteristics of their spirit; and this retirement 
from the world the means which they adopted in order 



* Yen. P. Thomas i Jesn. {Opera Omnia: Cologne, 1684), T. I., p. 
404 s^. 



MONASTICISM IN THE EARLY IRISH CHURCH. 3 

to attain to their ideal of perfection. In after ages 
their example, in both respects, was earnestly emulated 
by the Monks of the Thebaid, who had embraced the 
Counsels of the Christian Religion. We are assured, 
moreover, that the very first monastic Rule embodied 
many of the pious traditions handed down from the 
time of the Prophet Elias and his disciples ; suggesting, 
as these traditions do, the most effective methods of 
acquiring the spirit of zeal and prayer. And here it 
is necessary to say that the Rule thus essentially con- 
stituted has been adopted, from the beginning, by a 
Religious body existing in the Church from the remotest 
ages ; whose members claim St. Elias himself as their 
holy Founder : not vainly to extol the antiquity of 
their Order, as some critics of the Carmelites idly suppose ; 
but rather to insist upon the origin which history assigns 
to a calling so sublime — the vocation, also, of the first 
Bishop sent from Rome to preach the Faith in Ireland. 
For a most reliable authority informs us that Palladius 
was a member of one of the Carmelite communities in 
the East ; having been trained in monastic discipline 
by several of the Fathers of the renowned Thebaid." 

Various points relating to this mission of St. Palladius 
are made subjects of controversy among Irish historians ; 
but all agree as to the fact of his having come to the 
country prior to the time of St. Patrick.* Most writers 
are strangely silent concerning the earlier career of 
Palladius, preferring to begin with that epoch in his 
life when he was commissioned by Pope Celestine to 
undertake the work reserved by Divine Providence for 
the zeal of our national Apostle. Happily, however, 

» " Decor Carmeli." (P. Philippi a SS. Trinitate : Lyons, 1665), P. I., 
p. 82. The Author would have what is here stated read in connection with 
nis remarks on the same subject in another place (Chapter XIV)— relying 
chiefly for the authenticity of nis assertions on the authority of the learned 
Father Philip of the Blessed Trinity.—J. P. R. 

« " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland.'' (Lanigan : Dublin, 1829), V. I., 
p. 37. 



4 A SECOND THEBAID. 

a «hort but extremely important biography of the holy 
Bishop has been left us by an author of great learning 
and most diligent research^ who, having had occasion 
to interest himself in our Irish annals, gained access to 
scMiroes of authentic information within the reach of 
evidently but few of his contemporary historians of the 
seventeenth century ; and which not many subsequent 
writers appear to have been able to consult. According 
to Father Philip of the Blessed Trinity, Palladius, who 
from his boyhood seems to have been under the direction 
of a very holy ecclesiastic, embraced the monastic state 
when only in the twentieth year of his age. Having 
come with his master to Jerusalem from Constantinople 
he joined the Carmelite community there in the monastery 
of St. Anne, governed at that time by John, afterwards 
Patriarch of the Holy City. 

A custom then existed in the monasteries of the East 
of granting permission to the religious to visit other 
communities, in order that the monks everywhere 
might have the benefit of the personal direction of the 
great masters of the spiritual life. So, having satisfied 
his superiors with the progress which he had made in 
the monastic virtues during the time of his probation 
at St. Anne's, Palladius was allowed, and encouraged, 
to undertake a journey into the deserts of Egypt. He 
did so ; and made a lengthy stay among the solitaries 
of the Thebaid. He was instructed in the working 
of the monastic system by the great St. Pachomius 
himself, and by others of the " Fathers of the Desert " 
— some of whom had several thousand monks under 
their immediate control at the same time. Palladius 
there witnessed not alone the marvels of holiness that 
were causing the whole world to resound with the 
fame of the Thebaid, but beheld the extraordinary 
fruits of the labours of those colonies of Saints, 
whose industry made the wilderness appear to 



MONASTICISM IN THE EARLY IRISH CHURCH. 5 

▼isitors as a hive of bees. Withdrawal from the 
world by no means implied forgetfulness of the 
needs of their fellow-men on the part of the 
monks^ whose charity and generosity inspired the very 
Pagans with a reverence for the Christian Faith. As 
a matter of fact, no other social influence of that remote 
age did so much for the! progress of civilization as the 
unwearying efforts of those self-sacrificing denizens of 
both Thebaids. The time not spent in prayer was 
devoted either to study or manual labour ; so that not 
only were there to be found among them the most learned 
men of those times, but numbers of " weavers, 
carpenters, curriers, tailors and fullers" — exercising 
their respective crafts for the brethren of the different 
communities, and equally for the poor, for pilgrims, 
and for strangers." * There were hospitals for the 
infirm, for lepers, and for cripples : even little children 
had a special home of their own there in time of sickness, 
wherein they received all the tenderness of a loving 
mother's care. 

St. Pachomius required his monks — ^at one time there 
were as many as fifty thousand solitaries subject to the 
holy abbot's rule — to be able to read and write, in order 
that they might comply with the strict obligation of 
studying the Holy Scriptures. Not that their attention 
was confined to Biblical knowledge alone : the Thebaid 
became a very treasury of "varied learning" — ^those 
who had gained most renown in the famous schools 
of Alexandria seeking wisdom, after their conversion 
to the Faith, from the " Fathers of the Desert." There, 
too, St. Athanasitis found his most powerful auxiliaries 
in the cause of Orthodoxy, renewing his own courage 
and strength among them by lengthy retreats. Another 
great Doctor of the Church— St. John Chrysostom, 
whose intimate friendship Palladius enjoyed, and whose 

* "The Monks of the West," vol. i., pp. 317-319. 



O A SECOND THEBAID. 

cause he warmly defended • — ^thus speaks of the monks 
from personal experience : " Go to the Thebaid : you 
shall find there a solitude more beautiful than Paradise ; 
a thousand choirs of angels under human form ; nations 
of martyrs ; armies of virgins ; the tyrant demon 
powerless, and Christ gloriously triumphant." ^ 

Having passed through this school of holiness, and 
with a heart inflamed by the zeal that is the fruit of 
contemplative prayer, Palladius set out for Rome, and 
offered himself for the perilous mission to Ireland. Hence 
we may be prepared to find a very striking evidence 
of the self-same spirit of monasticism pervading the 
history of the early Irish Church, For, waiving the 
question of the time which Palladius spent in Ireland, 
Father Philip of the Blessed Trinity insists not alone 
on the fact of the holy Bishop having established those 
churches to which our national annalists allude, but 
on his having founded, moreover, a number of monastic 
institutions according to the mode of life followed in 
the Deserts of Egypt and Palestine.® Indeed, there 
are writers who maintain that the Irish people were, 
from the beginning, almost instinctively predisposed 
to this austere form of asceticism — so earnest were they 
to attain to the sublime ideals of Christianity. 
. Although the Druids had still great influence over 
the native princes, much success seems to have attended 
the efforts of Palladius and his companion missionsuies 
on their first coming to the country. The Pagans 
were amazed and terrified at seeing the demons of 
idolatry vanquished by the simple Sign of the Cross, 
which, remembering the advice given him by the holy 
abbot Dorotheus — ^whose disciple he had been in the 
Thebaid — ^Palladius instantly set up in the place chosen 

• "Decor Carmeli," P. I., p. 83. 
' Horn. VIII. In S. Matt. 

• " Decor CarmcU," ViU S. Palladii, p. 85. 



MONASTICISM IN THE EARLY IRISH CHURCH. ^ 

for the celebration of the Divine Mysteries. Here, 
too, he chanted the Psalms with his monks, in conformity 
to the liturgy long observed among the hermits of 
Carmel, who had themselves received it from the 
Evangelist, St. Mark. And thus in the nascent Irish 
Church we find repeated some of the most thrilling 
episodes in the history of those sacred Eastern solitudes : 
when the fervent Christians who had, at the preaching 
of St. Palladius, already embraced the monastic state 
came together after the day's hard toil to sing the Divine 
praises from the Psalter — the entire of which each monk 
could recite from memory — until the country-side 
resounded with a multitude of voices consecrated to 
God in the service of prayer. 

So great was the progress made by Palladius in his 
mission, that a report reached Rome to the effect of his 
having converted the whole of Ireland to the Faith 
but at the very time the Eternal City was rejoicing in 
this victory of his zeal, the holy Bishop had been driven 
from the country by the malice and envy of the Druids. 
However, this persecution failed in its purpose ; for 
before his departure, Palladius had charged a number 
of his disciples — ^who were unknown to the Pagan priests 
—to remain with the Faithful of the Irish Church : 
to attend to their spiritual needs ; and especially to 
encourage those bound by the monastic vows to persevere 
in their vocation. Several of our annalists hold that 
the Saint did not long survive his expulsion from Ireland, 
having died, probably, in the year 432 ; others are of 
opinion that he lived to render the Church most fruitful 
services both in Britain and Scotland.* 

In saying that he was the first Bishop sent from Rome 
to Ireland, the historians are still doubtful as to whether 

• " History of the Irish Hieiarchy " (Rev. T. Walsh : New York, 1855), 
p. 5. " Insula Sanctorum et Doctoram " (Dr. Healy : Dublin, 1893), P* 150* 
Lamgan, yoI. L, p. 22. 



8 A SECOND TH£BAID. 

PaUadius had any predecessors in the sacred ministiy 
in this, country. Father Philip of the Blessed Trinity 
does not appear to think so ; not that he advances any 
reasons to the contrary ; seeing that Irish merchants 
used to trade with foreign nations even in far earlier 
ages ; while in their raids on the neighbouring coasts 
the native chieftains might have easily carried oif Bishops 
or priests among their other Christian captives. But it is 
to PaUadius we are indebted for having prepared the way 
for St. Patrick's grand apostolate ; and for having given 
to the Irish Church those traditions of the spiritual life, 
\i^ch, as we shall presently see, caused the halo of 
sanctity, shining over those Eastern Deserts, to be 
reflected, and with added lustre, in our "Second Thebaid.* 
And this Weis how Monasticism became inaugurated 
in Ireland. Despite the persevering hostility of the 
Druids to those professing the True Faith, the followers 
of PaUadius kept the light of Christianity burning in 
the country until the advent of St. Patrick, who found 
many of the Irish already well instructed in the Gospel ; 
zBceting in his frequent journeys devout men engaged 
ifi the practice of the religious life quite as fervently 
and exactly as he himself had seen it observed in those 
famous communities abroad wherein he had acquired 
the spirit of zeal which was now to insure the conversion 
of the entire nation. It is even said that his missionary 
labours were shared by some of those faithful disciples 
of PaUadius.'® We may judge his own appreciation 
of the monastic life from the fact of the bitter complaint 
made by the Druids to their royal patrons : that St. 
Patrick's preaching was inducing the children of the 
Irish kings and princes to lose all interest in the glories 
and pleasures extolled by the national bards — leading 
them on to aspire to an invisible reward which the 

^* Lanigan, vol. L, p. 22. 



MONASTICISM IN THE EARLY IRISH CHURCH. Q 

Fftgan sages found it impossible to understand. And 
when we are told that the fame of some holy hermit 
attracted crowds of the pious Faithful to his lonely 
retreat^ in order that they might advance in virtue under 
his guidance^ we have^ practically, assigned for us the 
origin of those renowned seminaries of sanctity which 
first made Ireland more generally known to Christen- 
dom as ''another Thebaid" : furnishing examples of 
penance as marvellous as the edifying lives of the Fathers 
of the Desert ; and consoling tl^e Church for the havoc 
wrought by heresy and schism in the East, where the 
former glory of Monasticism was, by this time (a.d. 
432-451) on the wane.^* Such was the b^inning of our 
ancient monastic Schools, each of whose holy founders 
framed a set code of observances for his own particular 
followers ; but prayer and mortification always formed the 
basis of the special mode of life enjoined, the rest being 
regarded as mere matters of detail, and deemed important 
only in relation to the grand purpose in view: the 
personal sanctification of those called to " the Better 
Part" of Evangelical perfection. 

Mention is made of twelve distinct Rules of this kind, 
dating from either the fifth or sixth century, and as 
many as eight of these are said to be still extant, written 
in the original Irish. Each bears the name of the 
great Saint responsible for the particular method of 
monastic discipline; and common to all are statutes 
prescribing very severe penalties for even the slightest 
faults committed against the holy Rule. But in this 
we recognise the zealous Founder's solicitude for the 
spiritual welfare of those who had placed themselves 
under his care ; for thus would he impress upon them 
how seriously they were to r^ard whatsoever might 
hinder their progress in the way of virtue. 

" •• The Monks of the West/' vol. i., p. 373. 



10 A SECOND THEBAID. 

The countless souls sanctified by the profession of 
Monasticism in the early Irish Church had, for the most 
part, adopted one or other of these twelve Rules as a 
means of insuring Divine favour; attracted in each 
case, no doubt, by the renown of that master in asceticism, 
whose teaching appealed more forcibly to the wants 
and aspirations of the individual heart. Although the 
underlying essential principles — presupposing a horror 
of worldliness and the love of retirement for the purpose 
of penance and prayer — gave a certain sameness to 
these monastic Codes ; still they differed considerably 
in various respects, modified by those laudable customs 
established conformably to the requirements of Canon 
Law. Nevertheless, we find the Rule of St. Columba 
containing not a few ordinances — ^most strikingly those 
relating to the virtues of obedience and silence — ^which 
read almost word for word with the corresponding 
chapters in what is now known as " the Primitive 
Carmelite Rule " — substantially the same as that observed 
by Palladius and his companions while members of the 
community in the monastery of St. Anne.^* A very 
learned writer on the subject informs us that this 
" Primitive Rule " is but a summary of the original 
monastic Code, written in Greek, which had been followed 
by those " famous hermits of Carmel " even long before 
the time of St. BasiU^ 

Hence, instead of entering upon a critical analysis 
of their Rules, it will prove more interesting to the 
general reader to dwell briefly on the life of each of our 
holy Founders ; making passing reference, in a subse- 
quent chapter, to the better known, more ancient 
sanctuaries of our Western Thebaid. So, too, shall we 

^ " Ven. P. Thomas 4 Jesu," T. I., pp. 465, 474- 

^* The Ven. Thomas of Jesas, to whom Bossaet alludes as ''a profound 
theologian, and sublime ascetic ' ' ; and for whose learning Bellarmin expressed 
the highest esteem. 



MONASTICISM IN THE EARLY IRISH CHURCH. II 

have an opportunity of witnessing certain phases of 
one glorious effect of those different Codes of Monasticism 
in the Irish Church : the production of that threefold 
order of saints — comprising three hundred and fifty 
holy Bishops, the Founders of churches and schools, 
who shone, in virtue, like the sun ; another three 
hundred priests and prelates, whose holiness was bright 
as the moon ; and a hundred more hermit-bishops 
and priests with sanctity compared to the aurora. Yet 
all these blessed ones were few relatively to the myriads 
of Irish men and women who became Saints under the 
guidance of these same holy Founders, whose words 
of wisdom were grateful to kings and heroes as well as 
to the lowliest in the land. 

Before his death, St. Patrick was favoured with a 
vision of the holiness and learning which, in after ages, 
5»hould flourish in the Irish Church : first he saw the 
whole island splendidly illumined ; then only the moun- 
tains made bright ; and finally but lamps, as it were, 
shining in the valleys. Surely a beautiful all^ory of 
the country,^* either when Monasticism was really 
the serious study of innumerable Irishmen's lives ; or 
at an epoch when, notwithstanding the sad troubles 
of the times, many moneisteries were founded to become 
schools of sanctity and learning ; and, perhaps, a figure 
of Ireland in this later age, likewise : seeing how the 
lamp of asceticism has been kept burning in our midst 
throughout so long and drear a night of persecution. 
The ideals of Monasticism are quite as effectively attractive 
to-day as in that far off time when the Faithful came 
in crowds to be taught the secret of holiness and happiness 
by a St. Finnian of Clonard, or a St. Ciaran of Clonmac- 
noise. 

Several centuries before the monks of our Western 

M " Insula Sanctoram et Doctorum," p. io8. 



12 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Thebaid were called upon to enter the arena with the 
royal heresiarch, whom we shall see vainly striving to 
make them the creatures of his will, the Irish Church 
had already undergone another fierce struggle to which, 
in the course of our narrative, we shall often have painful 
occ2ision to allude ; quoting from our ancient annals the 
frequent ruthless invasion of monasteries, and monastic 
cities — for flourishing towns had sprung up around 
those homes of prayer — by the barbarous Danes. But 
the mere fact of the dread event is mentioned, leaving 
the imagination to picture what must have taken place 
when the sacred silence of the cloister was interrupted 
by the furious outcry of the spoilers — enraged at finding 
no plunder among those friends and benefactors of the 
poor. It was then that many of our glorious host of 
Irish martyrs gained the crown. We must refer, 
also, to those deeds of heroic patriotism which checked 
the progress of the Danish invasion, until the barbarians 
themselves submitted at length to the sweet yoke of 
the Christian. Faith : yielding more readily to the 
influence of Ireland^s missionary monks, than to the 
valour of those whose duty it was to defend their country 
by the sword. Other invaders — the Anglo-Normans 
— ^foUowed ; and, although Christians themselves in 
name, plundered and destroyed many of our ancient 
sanctuaries— perpetrating those deeds for which they 
would afterwards atone, in part, by founding monasteries 
destined to transmit to future ages every venerated 
tfadition of our Irish Thebaid. 



CHAPTER IL 

*THE TWELVE HOLY FOUNDERS." 

It is by no means certain that St. Patrick gave a formal 
monastic Rule to his disciples ; still the annalists allow 
him first place amongst our Holy Founders ; and this 
most fittingly, because of the various monastic schools 
which the Saint is known to have established ; as 
well as by reason of those " Canons " designed to 
regulate the mode of life of the Irish clergy generally, 
and undoubtedly calculated to foster the spirit of true 
Monasticism.^ As for his own fervour in this respect, 
we can only compare him to the great Prophet Elias, 
in whose grand career there are certain events vividly 
recalled by incidents in. the life of our national Apostle. 
St. Patrick's fearlessness before the Druids forcibly 
reminds us of the burning zeal of the Thesbite in his 
struggle with the priests of Baal ; while it was to prayer 
alone, whether on Carmel or at Tara, that either Saint 
owed his wondrous power. Both were, likewise, 
animated by a tenderest charity towards the poor and 
afflicted, ever displaying a speedy practical sympathy 
in the case of those wrongfully oppressed. 

There is ample evidence in the " Canons " to show 
that St. Patrick, also, would have prayer and zeal 
the essential features in the spirit of the servants 
of the Sanctuary. Of course his own earlier associations 
furnish an argument for his thus wishing to have 
Monasticism, in its most rigid acceptation, enter into 

1 Alemand, p. 19. Lanigan, vol. l» p. 312. 



14 A SECOND THEBAID. 

the lives of those called to the service of the Altar ; 
setting aside his anxiety to see perpetuated in the Irish 
Church those traditions of eminent holiness which had 
edified him in foreign moneisteries, and which he rejoiced 
to find so fervently practised by the disciples of Palladius. 
St. Patrick was only in the sixteenth year of his age 
when taken to Ireland, as a slave, by one of those 
chieftains who were wont to raid the coasts of Britain and 
France. Already highly cultured in other respects, 
the Irish people were wanting, at that epoch, in the 
truer civilization effected among nations by the 
practice of Christianity. He spent fully six years in 
a state of cruel servitude, deprived of every means of 
acquiring human learning, but making rapid daily 
prepress in the science of the Saints by exercising himself 
in those simple lessons of virtue taught him in his child- 
hood by his pious parents, Calphurnius and Conchessa. 
At length he escaped to France, where he placed himself 
under the guidance of his maternal uncle, the grea: 
St. Martin of Tours. Later on he passed some con- 
siderable time with St. German of Auxerre ; and, 
subsequently, among the monks of St. Honoratus in 
the Isle of Lerins.^ Such were but a few of the oppor- 
tunities which our Saint had of becoming thoroughly 
grounded in the principles of the monastic life as incul- 
cated by those renowned holy masters ; so that it was 
another monk-bishop that came to perfect the work 
of Palladius in Ireland, some time in the year 432. Pope 
St. Celestine was the Pontiff who authorized our Apostle 
to undertake the grand enterprise, confident of the 
fruit of Patrick's spirit of zeal. The Saint was accom- 
panied on his mission by several fervent companions, 
who rejoiced with him on discovering the heritage of 
Palladius to the Christians already in Ireland : that 

3 Lanigan, vol. i., ch. iv., p. 155, s^. 



THE TWELVE HOLY FOUNDERS. 15 

bond of holiness between the future "Thebaid of the 
West" and those Eastern Deserts which had been the 
seminary of so many famous Saints. 

In the success of St. Patrick's mission — the conversion 
of an entire nation to the Faith — ^we may well pause 
to consider the power of zeal and prayer. For the 
difficulties with which he had to contend — chiefly owing 
to the passionate attachment of the people to their Pagan 
customs — called for the exercise of something more 
than mere human energy. Every effort of the Saint 
— ^whether in dealing with the people, or their princes ; 
with the Druids, or with the Bards, those jealous 
guardians of the nation's ancient fame — ^was, moreover, 
a further proof of that far-seeing prudence which not 
alone provided for the pressing needs of his own day ; 
but set a safeguard for all time over the treasure of the 
Faith then bestowed upon Ireland. And just as his 
persevering fervour removed the obstacles in his 
path ; so, in the end, his gentleness enabled him to 
win over his most inveterate enemies to the cause of 
Truth. 

The people soon saw that he had not come to impose a 
burden upon them such as the wily Druids would lead 
them to think ; but rather to show them how true 
happiness is to be had even in this life, the surety of an 
eternal hope. If St. Patrick uttered terrifying threats 
of a Divine chastisement, it was only against sin and 
error ; hearts yearning for the Truth which he preached 
found the utmost solace in his encouraging words — so 
well did his conduct verify the significance of the beautiful 
name which he bore : " the Father of the Poor." And 
now enriched by the gift of Faith, many of his converts 
would prove their gratitude by obeying the Evangelical 
Counsels, also ; the noblest among the children of the 
Irish offering this practical testimony of their consistency 
in the exercise of Christian Belief. If nothing could 



l6 A SECOND THEBAID. 

excel the promised reward, neither might any sacrifice 
made to attain it be deemed too great. 

About the year 450, St. Patrick was in^ired to found 
the Primatial See of the Irish Churchy and the once 
famed monastic school of Armagh. Heretofore his 
disciples, anxious to benefit by his teaching and example, 
were wont, as a rule, to accompany him from place to 
place. But now Armagh became the recognised centre 
of the Saint's zeal, influencing the lives of those who 
dwelt there until their renown for holiness and wisdom 
drew multitudes of earnest students from the remotest 
regions of the earth, yielding ready obedience to the 
Bishop appointed to govern both See and monastery 
in St. Patrick's name. The labours of our Saint did 
not cease with the establishment of Armagh ; even in 
his old age — the year 465 was, probably, the date of 
his death — ^he had to face trials and troubles that rendered 
his life a very martyrdom. However, he succeeded, by 
degrees, in bringing the ecclesiastical affairs of Ireland 
into most striking harmony with the usages of the 
universal Church. In his well-known "Confession 
before Death " St. Patrick affords us a far clearer insight 
into his own character than we can derive from the 
numerous books written to record his life and labours : 
the out-pouring of a heart inflamed with Divine love ; 
but, as in the case of the Prophet Elias — ^for whom our 
Saint cherished a deep devotion 3 — grief-stricken because 
of his powerlessness to prevent the injuries daily offered 
by the wicked to the Most High. 

Some writers assert that Saint Ailbe of Emly actually 
preceded our national Apostle in the labours of the Irish 
Episcopacy ; but it is far more probable that he was one 
of St. Patrick's disciples, entering upon the duties 
assigned to him by his holy master some time about the 

» "Speculum Carmeli," T. I., nn. 211, 457. Walsh, p. 189. Lanigan, 
V. I., p. 23. 




ST. PATRICK'S VISIOxX OK THE PROIMIKT KLIAS. (p. i6.) 



THE TWELVE HOLY FOUNDERS. ^^ 

year 445.* At all events, St. Ailbe's name frequently 
occurs in our Annals as one of the monastic Founders — 
* a Father of the Early Irish Church " ; but very little 
is known for certain concerning his career. It would 
seem that it was his pious ambition tq devote himself 
entirely to the eremitical mode of life in some lonely 
retreat far away from Munster, his native-place; yet 
he humbly submitted his own inclinations to the will 
of others, being especially desirous of complying with 
the wishes of the holy king ^Engus — ^who had most 
loyally assisted St. Patrick when in the South of Ireland. 
Hence we find St. Ailbe Bishop of the See of Emly, and 
founder of a great monastic school there. Prevented 
himself from undertaking a mission to Iceland, he sent 
thither a colony of zealous disciples whose spirit had 
been formed according to the Rule compiled by St. Ailbe 
for those who would place themselves under his spiritual 
guidance. 

St. Declan of Ardmore is another of our holy Founders 
said to have been a Bishop in Ireland prior to the time 
of St. Patrick. But neither in this instance are we 
furnished with any satisfactory reasons for the assertion : 
not, as we have seen, that the fact is in itself intrinsically 
improbable. Nor are the more reliable authorities by 
any means inclined to consider a very ancient life of 
this Saint authentic. Still all agree in testifying to his 
marvellous holiness, dwelling particularly on his spirit 
of humility and lowly submission, although a scion of 
the " noble Desii," and notwithstanding all he had 
done for the nascent Irish Church. Among the most 
fruitful of his labours was the training of so many zealous 
disciples in his monastery at Ardmore. The calm of 
their beloved retreats seems to pervade the brief 

^ See the accoant of St. Patrick's appeal to the Prophet Elias in the 
" Florilegium Insulae Sanctoram " (Vita S. Patritiii chap, xix., p. 10) : 
Paris, 1624. 

C 



l8 A SECOND THEBAID. 

narratives of our Saints ; causing us almost to forget at 
times that in their days^ even as in our own, there were 
absorbing interests at issue in the world without the 
cloister : compared with which, very often, the most 
revolutionary changes of modem history hardly appear 
important. Still mere temporal affairs were for St. 
Declan and his holy contemporaries but the passing 
vanities of this life ; only what related to the soul claimed 
their earnest attention at all. 

A prominent place is given to St. Columba amongst 
our Irish monastic legislators : both by reason of the 
number of religious establishments founded by him, and 
because of the influence of his spirit on his own and 
subsequent ages. The scope of our task does not admit 
of anything like a satisfactory account of this great 
Saint's career ; so we must confine ourselves to a few 
of the events in his marvellous life more directly pertinent 
to our purpose. Born at Gartan, county Donegal, 
about the year 521, St. Columba was of the royal race 
of Nial of the Nine Hostages. When only in the twenty- 
second year of his age, he was already recognised as one 
of " the Apostles of Erin," while from earliest childhood 
it could be seen that he was destined to add lustre to 
the Irish Church by his wisdom and sanctity. He was 
still quite a young man when he established the monastic 
school of Derry, which became eventually so renowned ; 
and several other famous monasteries of Ireland also 
claimed him as their Founder. But it is with lona that 
Columba's name is most lovingly associated ; having 
chosen that island as the place of his exile, in order to 
expiate the deed of vengeance taken by his kinsmen 
upon those from whom our Saint had received a grievous 
injury. We can better appreciate the merit of this 
great act of atonement, by remembering Columba's 
passionate love of his native land ; the penalty was, we 
are assured, a thousand times worse than the bitterness 



THE TWELVE HOLY FOUNDERS. I9 

of death to him ; still he endured it heroically for a 
term of forty j^ears, his heart ever yearning for even 
one glimpse of the Irish shore. Much as has been 
written on the life and works of St. Columba, we are 
left to seek the secret of his influence in that persevering 
correspondence with grace, which enabled him to over- 
come every natural inclination that might hinder his 
daily progress in Christian perfection ; implying, of 
course, a great love of those dread austerities so unceas- 
ingly practised by all our Irish Saints. 

Next, in order, comes the name of St. Comgall, of 
Bangor, in the county Down. He was born in the year 
516, and died, probably, A.D. 601. So rapidly did the 
renown of his monastery spread abroad that he had 
soon no less than three thousand fervent disciples under 
his immediate charge. No doubt the love of learning 
brought many to the famed school of Bangor ; but we 
are expressly told that the chief attraction of the place 
lay in the holiness of its inmates — excelling in obedience 
and humility, of which beautiful virtues St. G>mgall 
himself gave the most striking example. Having studied 
the Science of the Saints in various other monasteries, 
this holy Founder embodied in his own Rule a number 
of the pious customs which he had seen observed elsewhere; 
and some of these, like parts of St. Columba's monastic 
Code, forcibly recall the mode of life led from the beginning 
by the Hermits of Mount Carmel.^ 

Another feature in the Monasticism of the early Irish 
Church reminding us of life in the Eastern Thebaid, 
was the custom of freely allowing the monks — especially 
the younger — ^to pay lengthy visits to different monas- 
teries in order that they might have as many opportunities 
as possible of profiting by the example of those already 

* Compare " Insula Sanctoram et Doctornm," ch. xvi., p. 365. ** The 
Monks of the West," voL i., bk. ii.. p. 287. "Thomas a Jesu," v. i., 
p. 450- 



20 A SECOND THEBAID. 

proficients in the spiritual life. Among the many who 
had come to Bangor with this end in view was a relative 
of St. Comgall, named Carthach — ^also one of our Holy 
Founders. He is now more generally known as St. 
Mochuda; having been so called by his master, St. 
Carthach the Elder. It is said that Ireland might well 
be deemed at the zenith of its fame for holiness and 
learning when this St.Mochuda,or Carthach the Younger, 
founded his moncistic school in the territory of the 
Desii, county Waterford. Born in the year 560, he 
first achieved much renown by the establishment of his 
great monastery at Rahan, county Meath, where he 
himself passed forty years of his saintly life. But it 
would appear that the jealousy of the people of this 
district was at length aroused ; they regarded the 
Saint and his monks as strangers ; so, for the sake of 
peace, Mochuda departed thence in his old age in search 
of a more tranquil retreat. On hearing how badly 
the holy man had been treated by the people of Meath, 
the reigning prince of the Desii invited him to his own 
country, telling him to enclose as much land as he 
pleased for a new monastery. The Saint gladly availed him- 
self of such pious generosity ; and, with his companions, 
at once set about raising the usual "lios " or mound, 
which marked off the claustral boundary in those days. 
While thus engaged, a holy virgin named Comelli, who 
dwelt close by, came and asked them what they were 
doing there ? "Only making this little mound" {lios beg), 
replied Mochuda. The holy virgin, enlightened by a 
prophetic vision of the future fame of the monastic 
school which was to spring up in that place, told him 
to call it rather a great mound {lios mohr) ; and out of 
respect for her sanctity St. Mochuda complied : hence 
the once world-renowned name of Lismore. 

At that time, and, indeed, for some centuries later 
on, the monastic buildings were very rarely, if at all. 



THE TWELVE HOLY FOUNDERS. 21 

of an imposing kind. Having marked out the precincts 
of what was to be their future home by the lios or mound, 
the monks, under the direction of their master in the 
spiritual life — as in the instance of St. Mochuda and his 
disciples — built themselves rude huts within this sacred 
enclosure. The church or oratory was in the centre, 
so that the monastery thus established was like the 
"Laura" of the Eastern Thebaid; and must have 
borne a striking resemblance to the ancient " Deserts " 
of Carmel, according to the plan of which, in so far as 
circumstances would allow, the Ven. Thomas of Jesus 
inaugurated those solitary retreats among the Teresian 
Carmelites, wherein members of the Order might, with 
their Superior's permission, lead a strictly eremitical 
mode of life.* These primitive monastic institutions 
were most simply constructed here in Ireland ; stone 
being seldom used in the rearing of either the church 
or cells. The edifice of sanctity in their own souls gave 
the holy monks most anxious concern ; and in later 
ages when the ancient sanctuaries were replaced by the 
monasteries, of which now only the ruins remain, we 
invariably find that the style of architecture adopted 
was such as would lend itself most freely to the sublime 
mystical interpretation of those ideals of spirituality 
which the earnest Christian keeps constantly in view.'' 
St. Mochuda survived the establishment of Lismore 
but two years. Still within that brief interval a great 
city appeared there to replace the original lios ; fully 
one-half of the same being strictly cloistered, solely 
peopled by the monks. Meanwhile, our Saint himself 
had retired to a solitary cave to prepare more perfectly 



* Wmlsh, p. 684. " Insula Sanctorum et Doctorum/' p. 94. 

^Judging from the plates in the works of both I<edwich (Dublin, A.D. 
1790) and Grose (London, A.D. 1 791) on the *' Antiquities of Ireland," it 
is easy to see how much these ruined monasteries have suffered during the 
past hundred years. Compare, also, the engravings in Bartlett's " Scenery 
and Antiquities of Ireland^' — (London : George Virtue. No date). 



22 A SECOND THEBAID. 

for death. He would have remained there to the end ; 
but the ** Seniors " of the monastery — themselves 
enfeebled by age and infirmities — ^were wont to consult 
him frequently in person ; and in order to spare them 
the labour of coming to his retreat, very difficult of 
approach, he decided oij returning to Lismore. As his 
beloved disciples were bearing him down the rugged 
pathway, he begged them to administer the Last Sacra- 
ments to him ; and immediately afterwards expired 
in view of the monastery so dear to him in life. And 
thus in his very agony he gave a touching example of 
that spirit of charity which had been so lovable a trait 
in his grand character, and which pervades his holy 
Rule — probably the best authenticated of the eight extant 
Irish monastic Codes. Besides the usual ordinances 
relating to the spiritual progress of the monks, St. 
Mochuda furnishes many practical instructions for 
Bishops, Superiors, and Priests — giving to the latter 
the beautiful title of "Friend of the Soul." His 
exhortations on the worthy offering of " the Body of 
the Great King " are such as to excite tenderest devotion 
to the " Great Lord of our Altars " ; indicating at the 
same time the surest cause of the wondrous holiness 
that flourished at Lismore.® 

St. Molua (iA.D. 559), also one of our Irish Founders, 
was another of St Comgall's disciples, who had his Rule 
sanctioned by the authority of Pope Gregory the Great : 
" Surely this is a means," the holy Pontiff is said to have 
exclaimed, " to guide its loyal followers to God ! " One 
of its most striking characteristics is the extreme rigour 
with which " the law of the cloister " was enforced. 
The founding of as many as one hundred monasteries 
during his own life-time is attributed to St. Molua, the 
most important being that established by the Saint 

» Walsh, pp. 239, 379. 



THE TWELVE HOLY FOUNDERS. 23 

at Qonfert-Mulloe in the Queen's County; although 
he himself would have chosen a site in his native-place, 
somewhere in the county Limerick.* 

A Briton, by birth, St. Mochta of Louth is said to 
have been the last of the disciples of St. Patrick ; so 
that he must have been of a very advanced age at the 
time of his death in the year 534. He had been raised 
to the Episcopate in Rome ; and some time after his 
return to Ireland he established a great monastic school 
at Louth ; but no trace remains of the Rule of life framed 
by him for his followers. Those under his guidance — 
including many of the highest culture, among whom 
were, at least, a hundred Bishops and three hundred 
priests — derived great profit from his teaching ; more 
especially as he was profoundly learned in the 'Holy 
Scriptures : to the study of which he would have his 
disciples devote themselves unremittingly. St. Patrick 
showed his love for the holy Mochta by confiding to him 
the care of the See of Armagh. And even the gift of 
miracles during his life, such as the raising of the dead, 
also testified to Mochta's sanctity. After his death 
the school of Louth continued to flourish until the coming 
of the Danes ; while his influence, like that of our other 
monastic Founders, perseveres in its hidden effects in 
the Irish Church to the present day. 

The name of St. Finnian of Clonard is next met with in 
our ancient annals. He is known as " the Guide of the 
Saints of Ireland," so marvellous was his success in 
directing his disciples in the way of holiness. He was 
bom in Leinster towards the end of the fifth century ; 
and dedicated himself to the service of God from his 
earliest years. Having paissed some time in Wales at 
the monastery of St. David, he came to found his own 
school of virtue at Clonard in the county Meath. Three 

* Alemand, p. 18. 



24 A SECOND THEBAID. 

thousand monks lived under his jurisdiction there, 
meeting at stated times to hear their holy Master expound 
the mystical meaning of the Inspired Word. In doing 
so he was wont to stand on a little eminence apart, so 
that his voice might reach each one in that vast audience, 
over which a solemn silence prevailed, his numerous 
disciples rivalling each other in earnestness of attention, 
and that refinement of Christian politeness result- 
ing from the practice of the Science of the Saints. 
Then retiring, each to his humble cell, those fervent 
monks pondered in solitude over the words of wisdom 
which they had just heard — so helpful to them in keeping 
their pure souls in still closer union with God. So, too, 
were they enabled to practise all the more easily those 
harsh austerities prescribed by their holy Master to insure 
contempt for the pleasures and comforts of this mortal 
life. 

St. Finnian's own spirit of self-denial was such that 
it would not allow him to accept a gold ring which the 
great St. Brigid had offered to him, as a token of her 
reverence for his charity and zeal : she was yet more 
highly edified by this evidence of his love of Evangelical 
poverty. Like St. John of the Cross in after ages, he 
constantly wore a spiked iron cincture until it became 
quite embedded in his flesh ; while his fasts and vigils 
inspired with awe those whose own penances are described 
as terrifying. But, from the beginning, it was the way 
with our Irish monks of old ; having thoroughly grasped 
the reality of the spiritual life, they would suffer nothing 
to deter them in the more perfect correspondence with 
the grace of their vocation ; hence those rigorous 
mortifications, from which they derived strength of soul, 
no less than from prayer. St. Finnian died about the 
year 552, having lived to behold his beloved Clonard a 
seminary of great Irish Saints. Nor was it the young 
and inexperienced merely who came to him during life 



THE TWELVE HOLY FOUNDERS. 2$ 

for instruction ; eminent Bishops and Abbots were 
among the humblest of his disciples. One reason 
assigned for this fact was the difficulty of obtaining 
books at that remote epoch ; precious manuscript copies of 
the Holy Scriptures, and of the writings of the earlier 
Fathers of the Church were alone procurable ; so that 
in order to profit by the wisdom and learning of St. 
Finnian of Qonard, and of the other great Irish Masters 
of the spiritual life, it was necessary to come to their 
monasteries and dwell among the crowd of their earnest 
followers. 

St. Columbanus, one of the glories of Bangor, takes 
rank among our holy Founders, because of his zeal in 
introducing the spirit of Irish Monasticism on the 
continent of Europe.^® From the time of his arrival in 
France, A.D. 575, when he was little over thirty years 
of age, until his death in A.D. 615, the career of this 
Saint abounds in events of entrancing interest. Of 
firm determination of character, he was noted for that 
winsome gentleness which is said to have made the holy 
Benignus St. Patrick's favourite disciple; and was, indeed, 
a trait in all our Irish Saints easily traceable to their 
fervent exercise of the monastic life. On setting out 
from Bangor, with St. Comgall's blessing, it was the 
first intention of St. Columbanus merely to perform a 
pilgrimage " for Christ's sake " : after which he would 
retire, with some other monks, to a far distant retreat, 
wherein they might persevere to the end in the practice 
of austerities and prayer. Here we may not dwell on 
the circumstances that brought about the founding of 
the famed abbeys of Luxeuil and Bobbio ; and to the 
drawing up of a Rule to which thousands and thousands 
of pious followers would gladly submit in order to 

" Sec "The Mission of St. Benedict" (Historical Sketches, vol. ii.) for 
Cardinal Newman's charming description of contemporary Monasticism on 
the Continent. 



26 A SECOND THEBAID. 

sanctify themselves according to those traditions of 
virtue established by St. Columbanus both in Italy and 
France. The Count de Montalembert has succeeded 
in popularizing the authentic Life of the Saint, written 
by the monk Jonas of Bobbio, blending with his narra- 
tive some thrilling incidents from the history of his own 
beloved country .^^ And when thus recounting what 
the great Irish missionary and his disciples have done 
for the Church in France, this modern champion of the 
monks pays many a graceful tribute to our Western 
Thebaid, the holiness of which became known among 
the nations abroad by St. Columbanus' spirit of zeal. 

The glory of the school which the young St. Ciaran 
founded at Clonmacnoise, on the Shannon, had been 
predicted by St. Finnian of Clonard, his Master in 
the spiritual life. St. Ciaran was born at Fuerty in 
the county Roscommon, and died in the thirty-third 
year of his age, A.D. 544. After leaving Clonard, the 
holy youth paid a visit to Saint Enda of Aran, who, 
likewise, foretold his future greatness. The site chosen 
by St. Ciaran for his own monastery was a wild and 
dreary place in " the very centre of Ireland * — all the 
more desirable, on this account, to himself and his com- 
panions, already conscious that countless souls should 
thence ascend to God. They toiled for four months in 
constructing the church and cells, manual labour of 
this kind entering into the routine of their daily lives. 
This was the beginning of perhaps the most famed of 
all our ancient monastic schools ; its renown drew 
thither such crowds of students, even from distant lands, 
that a flourishing city sprang up around the sacred 
enclosure in the course of time. St. Ciaran himself did 
not witness the glory of Clonmacnoise, dying a few 
months after the foundation of that monastery ; but 

" "The Monks of the West," vol. ii., p. 387. 



THE TWELVE HOLY FOUNDERS. 2^ 

God had previously revealed to him the fruit of his own 
earnest prayers for the welfare of the Irish Church. He 
breathed his last in the arms of one whom he had 
dearly loved while yet at Clonard — St. Kevin of 
Glendalough.^2 

The Rule of St. Brendan of Clonfert, county Galway, 
is said to have been given to him by an angel; for which 
reason it was always held in reverent esteem. This 
Saint was already far advanced in age when he founded 
the monastery at Clonfert (a.d. 556), still he lived to 
govern it himself for at least twenty years ; insuring 
its fame as a home of sanctity and learning. He had 
several thousand monks under his immediate jurisdiction 
at this time ; still we are told that he took a personal 
interest in the monastic institutions which he had 
established elsewhere ; visiting them frequently in 
order to satisfy himself that all his spiritual children 
were intent upon the grand object of their holy vocation. 
He is known as " The Voyager " ; because of his having 
passed seven years of his life on sea seeking lands beyond 
the Atlantic Ocean, some reliable authors maintaining 
that he actusdly succeeded in reaching the continent 
of America. At all events, the fame of that voyage 
attracted many more disciples to the Saint, who took 
care to impress upon them that this life, at its best, is 
but a lengthy pilgrimage; Heaven, the true harbour 
of rest.^* 

St. Brendan was bom, A.D. 484, near Tralee, in the 
county Kerry ; the holy Bishop Ere foretelling his 
future renown even before the child's birth. From 
his very infancy he was under the care of St. Ita of the 
Desii : as famed for her wisdom and firmness of purpose 
as for her sanctity ; yet of a most winning disposition 

^' An account of the marvelloas career of this great Saint is given among 
the "Lives of Saints from the Book of Lismore" (Whitley Stokes, 
Oxford, 1890), p. 262. 

" "Ware's Bishops" (Harris : Dublin, 1739), p. 637. 



28 A SECOND THEBAID. 

— a trait that began to manifest itself in the young 
Brendan, also, at a very early age. Acting on the 
advice of this holy virgin, St. Brendan resolved to visit 
the schools of the " Fathers of Erin," promising, however, 
to return to his first master, St. Ere, for ordination. 
Having an intense love for the study of the Sacred Scrip- 
tures, he stayed some time with St. Jarlath of Tuam, who 
possessed a most profound knowledge of the Inspired 
Text. That great Saint informed his zealous disciple 
that he himself was destined to become a monastic 
Founder ; adding that the School of Clonfert should be 
the crown, as it were, of Brendan's career. And when 
this prophecy was duly fulfilled, not alone did the inmates 
of the monasteries established by St. Brendan gain fame 
for virtue, and knowledge of the Sacred Sciences; but 
therein, moreover, much was done to preserve everything 
good and beautiful in the profane literature of antiquity. 
So that to St. Brendan and his monks, as well as to St, 
Ciaran and the scholars of Clonmacnoise, we are indebted 
for the most authentic records concerning Ireland during 
the pre-Christian epoch': for the preservation of many 
thrilling poems of our ancient Bards; of those Laws 
of the wise and learned Brehons ; and of other works 
virhich illustrate the progress of civilization in Ireland even 
in Pagan times. St. Brendan had a holy sister named 
Briga, to whom he was deeply attached ; and whose 
sanctity, like his own, was fostered by the prudent guid- 
ance of their kinswoman, St. Ita. This sister had, from 
her childhood, devoted herself to the service of Grod. She 
dwelt, together with a great number of pious virgins 
who had placed themselves under her direction, in a 
nunnery established for her by St. Brendan at Annagh- 
down, on Lough Corrib — one of the most picturesque 
of our Irish lakes. While paying her a visit of charity 
there, St. Brendan died in the ninety-fourth year of his 
age. 



THE TWELVE HOLY FOUNDERS. 2g 

Before concluding this very brief review of the lives 
of the glorious Saints^ who are regarded as the monastic 
Legislators of the ancient Irish Church, we must make 
passing mention, at least, of the grand career of one 
who taught and led countless thousands of the fervent 
women of Ireland to emulate the heroic virtues practised 
by the axisterest solitaries of our Western Thebaid : 
who has been invoked by her devout clients, 
in after ages, under the beautiful title of " the Mary of 
the Gad." We have already seen in what reverence St. 
Brigid's holiness was held by such of our saintly Founders 
as had the happiness of rejoicing in her friendship during 
life. The most learned Bishops eagerly sought counsel 
from her : " than whom there was not in the whole 
world one more bashful and modest. Compared to the 
other holy virgins of Ireland, she was as the dove among 
the birds ; the vine amid trees ; and as the sun 
contrasted with the stars." There is a controversy 
concerning the parentage of the saint : some writers 
hold that she was of noble birth ; others say that she 
was the daughter of a slave, named Brocessa, whom 
her father — ^the chieftain Dubhtach — ^had sold at the 
instance of his wife before the predestined child was born. 
Be this as it may, St. Brigid's birth took place near Dun- 
dalk in the year 450 ; and she died about A.D. 525, in the 
nunnery which she had established at Kildare, where 
she had also founded a monastic school no less renowned 
in the history of Ireland. This being the centre of her 
zeal, St. Brigid began her apostolate among the daughters 
of Erin; readily accepting the invitations of the holy 
Bishops throughout the country, who were wont to. 
beseech her to come to edify their people by the mortified 
life which she led. And soon the example of her virtues 
and her words of holy prudence became an influence 
in the Irish Church that has not ceased to the present 
day; the fervour of St. Brigid ever revealing to her 



30 A SECOND THEBAID. 

spiritual children the loveliness of that purity of heart — 
her special heritage to the women of Ireland which is 
said to have been typified in the mystical light of Kildare.^* 

14 ** Insala Sanctorum et Doctorain," p. 127. 



CHAPTER III. 

SOME OF OUR MORE ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. 

It would be quite impossible to furnish anything like 
an exhaustive list of the monastic institutions founded 
by our Irish Saints : the names of but comparatively 
few of these establishments have come down to us ; and 
rarely do we find the origin assigned to each ancient 
sanctuary free of controversy among the learned. 
However, a rapid review of the little that is known 
concerning those venerated shrines will enhance the 
value of our narrative, while we insist on Ireland's claim 
to be recognised as a * Second Thebaid.* If we have 
to deplore the want of more precise information on such 
important points as the holy Founder's identity and 
the very century in which he may have flourished, still 
it is certain that in each of these ancient monasteries 
countless fervent religious sanctified themselves according 
to that rigid spirit of asceticism adopted from the 
beginning in the Irish Church. 

Commencing with the Province of Leinster, our 
annalists first mention the abbey of FlNGLASS,^ in the 
county Dublin ; attributing its foundation to St. 
Patrick himself ; and associating with it the names of 
several other Irish Saints, such as Saints Florentius, 
Noe, and Foelchu ; and some say that St. Kenny was 
abbot here, but most writers are silent on the subject 
when alluding to the renowned Founder of the abbey 
of Aghaboe.* In the course of the sixth century, 

^ *' MonasticoD Hibenicum" CArchdall : London, A.D, I786)» p. 215. 
^ Lanigan, voL ii., p. 20a 



32 A SECOND THEBAID. 

St. Nessan is said tx) have established an abbey on the 
island known as Ireland's Eye* wherein he himself 
passed the remaining years of his holy life ; in the same 
century St. Columba founded an abbey at SwORDS * 
which had still a large community at the date of the 
battle of Qontarf (a.D. 1014). Indeed, we are told that 
upon some of the monks of this abbey devolved the pious 
duty of removing the body of Brian Boroimhe from the 
fatal field after his glorious death in the hour of victory. 
The abbey of Clondalkin, '^ dating from the seventh 
century, had St. Mochua for its founder; and soon 
became famed for the holiness of its inmates : St. 
Ferfugillus died there in the year 784. St. Macculine, 
whose death occurred about the year 496, established 
an abbey at LUSK, • also in the county Dublin ; in this 
county, likewise, was the abbey of Tallaght,^ which 
owed its origin to St. Maelruan, who lived some time 
in the eighth century. Not far from Tallaght was the 
abbey of Saggard,^ founded towards the middle of 
the seventh century by St. Mosacres. 

St. Naithfraich, who flourished at the beginning of the 
sixth century, was first abbot of the ancient monastery 
of KiLDARE.* In the county of that name, there was 
an abbey at Clane,^^ supposed to have been founded by 
St. Ailbe in the fifth century ; and the abbey of 
KlLLOSSY,^^ named after the holy abbot and Bishop 
Auxilius, the nephew of St. Patrick. The abbey of 
GLASSNoroEN ^* was also in the county Kildare ; its 
founder being St. Mobhius, who studied under St. 

* Alemand, p. 8 (Text). * Archdall, 255. " Adamnan's Life of St. 

Columba " (Dr. Reeves : Dublin, 1857), p. 279. 

• Ibidem, p. 131. • Ibidem, p. 257. » Walsh, p. 437. 

■ Walsh, p. 435. • Ibid., p. 483. Lamgan, vol. ii., p. 132. 

^^ Archdall, p. 312. 
" Ibid., p. 332 ; Walsh, p. 488. There were other ancient monastic 
institutions in the County Dublin at Glassmore, Kibais, KilUhagUn, 
Mountown, Palmerstown and St. Dulough's. — JValsJk, pp. 430-436. 
u Ibidem, p. 481 



SOME OF OUR MORE ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. 33 

Finnian at Clonard^ and is thought to have been related 
to the great St. Brigid. His death occurred in the 
year 545- 

In the county Wicklow, St Kevin established a great 
abbey at Glendalough ^^ in the sixth century, dedicating 
it to Saints Peter and Paul. There, too, we find a 
monastic school causing a crowded city to appear in that 
wilderness known as the Valley of the Lakes. In aiter 
ages the church attached to the abbey of St. Kevin 
became invested with the privileges of a Cathedral 
j}A.D. 1 182), being served by a community of Canons 
Regular, who, by this time, had acquired a wide popularity 
in Ireland. Another of the churches of Glendalough 
— that of St. Saviour — ^was in charge of a community 
of the same Order, dwelling in a priory attached to the 
sacred edifice. But in earlier times, when Glendalough 
was at the height of its fame for sanctity, so numerous 
were the monks assembled there, that their fervent 
chanting of the Divine praises sounded loud above the 
storm raging over the angry waters of those lakes. 
The abbey of Druimchain,^* in the same county, was 
one of those monastic institutions attributed to the zeal 
of St. Abbhan. 

Of the more ancient abbeys in the county Wexford, 

that of Achadabhla," dating from the fifth century, is 

laid to the credit of St. Finnian; while that of BEG Erin^' 

— an island to the north of Wexford harbour — ^is traced 

to the fervour of a disciple and constant companion of 

St. Patrick : St. Ibar, whose renown gained him many 

fervent followers. St. Abbhan is credited with the 

foundation of several abbeys during the sixth century, 

all in the county Wexford : Camross-Fionnagh ; " 

^ Lanigan, vol. ii., p. 44 sg, 

^^ AlenuiDd, p. 13. But evidently intended for DromchmoincheUaigh, Co. 

Wexford — Walsh, p. 703. In the County Kildare there were also the 

ancient monasteries of Cloonagh, Diseart-Fulertach, Grange Nolven, and 

Maynooth.— Walsh, pp. 480-488. 

1* Walsh, p. 701. " Ibid., p. 702. »' Ibid., p. 702. 

D 



34 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Maghera-Nuidhe " ; and Desert-Cheandubhain." The 
abbey of Ros-Mic-Trian, ^ on the river Barrow, was 
founded about the same epoch by St. Evin, who had 
come thither from Munster. St. Fintan-Munna was the 
founder of the abbey of Teagh Munna— or Taghmon *^ 
early in the following century. His renown as a spiritual 
director had been predicted by St. Columba; and he 
had soon a^community of a hundred and fifty-two monks 
under his guidance at Taghmon. The origin of the abbey 
of Clonmore^^ is traced to St. Maidoc of Ferns, who 
appointed St. DichuUa its first abbot ; St. Temoc is also 
said to have presided there. We are told that the Danes 
made repeated raids on Clonmore during the ninth 
century, putting, on each occasion, many of its holy 
inmates to the sword. St. Colman of the Hy-Fiachra 
race, and famed for his extraordinary holiness, was 
founder of the abbey of Seanbotha,^ some time during 
the sixth century ; towards the end of the same century 
another abbey was established in the county Wexford 
at Inverdaoile «* by St. Dagan, brother of St. Libba 
of Glendalough and of St. Menoc, the disciple of St. 
Pulcherius of Leathmore. The abbey of FERNS,** which 
suffered greatly from the invasion of the Danes, was the 
fruit of the zeal of St. Maidoc, who died in the year 632. 
St. Maidoc was also the founder of the abbey of 
FiDDOWN** in the county Kilkenny. The abbey of 
KlMANAGH^ was in the same county; and is said to 

i« Ibid., p. 708. " Ibid., p. 703. » Ibid., p. 708. 

" Ibid., p. 710. ^ Lanigan, II., 337. 

^ Lanigan, III., p. 2. Ballykine, Donard, Inisboyne, Killgorman, Kil- 
iaird, Killnaningean, Shruthair, and Teachnaromhan are said to have been, 
likewise, the sites of ancient sanctuaries in the county Wicklow. — Walsh, 
pp. 714-790. 

^* Ibidem, II., p. 365. Mention is made of the following ancient 
sanctuaries in the county Kilkenny : Dermagh, Killaghy, Killamery, 
Killphian, Killmanagh, and Tibrach-Fachna.— Walsh, pp. 492-501 : and 
of Achad-Finglass, and Killfort-kern in the county Carlow. — Walsh, pp 
366-368. 

» Ibid., II., p. 337 ; III., p. 271. « Archdall, p. 351. « Ibid., p. 375- 



SOME OF OUR MORE ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. 35 

have owed its origin to St. Natalis, the son of King 
Aengus of Cashel, slain about the year 490. 

In the year 616, St. Gobhan founded an abbey at 
Old Leighlin,^ county Carlow, placing it under the 
care of St. Laserian some sixteen years later on, when 
there appear to have been as many as fifteen hundred 
monks there. Then there was the abbey of the holy 
Moling at a place called SAINT MULLINS ^ on the river 
Barrow : this Saint became Bishop of Ferns eventually ; 
and died at the close of the seventh century f A.D. 697). 

In the King's County, St. Kieran, Bishop of Ossory, 
founded an abbey at a place afterwards known as Shyre, 
or Seir-Kieran.»® This great Saint's death occurred 
in the year 550; the pious traditions of his virtues 
being practically perpetuated at Seir-Kieran, century 
after century, although the monks there were very 
frequently harassed by the Danes. The elder St. 
Brendan was founder of the abbey of BiRR." This was 
the Saint who so generously defended St. Columba 
when censured by the Synod of Geashill, protesting 
that he dared not dishonour by even the suspicion of 
his reproach one whom he knew to be predestined " to 
guide the nations." The monastic school of Birr became 
of world-wide renown. When St. Kilian was abbot 
there, many of the Irish students were obliged to leave 
for other monasteries ; charitably resigning their 
own places in favour of the foreigners who had 
come to Birr to place themselves under that great 
Master's spiritual guidance. So fervent was St. Kilian's 
own charity, that he used to send his monks to seek 
out those in distress all over the country, in order to 
bring relief to the afflicted more speedily. The abbey 

« Ibid., p. 36. » Walsh, p. 368. » Ibid., p. 516. 

'* Lanigan, II., p. 39. The ancient abbeys of Killbraycy, Ardne-Coemazi» 
Ardlathran, Carnsore, Darinis, Dromchaomchellaigh, Inisb(^, Inisfeel and 
Maghinemhna were also in the county Wexford.— Walsh, pp. 701-708. 



36 A SECOND THEBAID. 

of Lynally,** where St. Tedgalius died in the year 709, 
was also in the King's County, founded by St. Colman-Elo 
during the sixth century. And St. Kieran, the younger, 
established the abbey and school of Clonmacnoise." St. 
Alitha died there, A.D. 594, having had the privilege 
of entertaining St. Columba on his visit to that far-famed 
seminary of wisdom and sanctity. At Clonfert- 
MULLOE** was the abbey founded by St. Mulla in the 
sixth century : one of its abbots being that St. Lactean, 
to whom St. Laidgen attributed his own progress in 
the way of monastic perfection. About the same period, 
St. Barrindeus — ^who, like St. Brendan, had travelled 
into " the distant Western lands " — ^was founder of 
the abbey of Druimcuillin. ^ St. Canoe's abbey of 
Gallen ^ was, from the sixth century, a favourite resort 
for scholars from Wales ; for they claimed the holy 
Founder as a countryman of their own, although he 
was admittedly of Irish descent. Like many others of 
our more ancient sanctuaries, Gallen was handed over 
to the Canons Regular at the great revival of Monasticism 
in Ireland by St. Malachy O'Moore. Somewhere near 
Gallen,*^ we are told, the devoted Odran met his death 
while heroically personating St. Patrick, upon whose life 
one of the Pagan chiefs had a murderous design. 

The abbey of Holy Cross at KlLLEiGH,'^ King's County, 
dated from the sixth century, having St. Sinchell as 
its Founder : that of DURROW •• was, as we have seen, 
established by St. Columba (A.D. 546) where he is said 
to have been succeeded by St. Cormac. There, too, the 
Canons Regular were introduced in the course of time ; 
the community being most harshly treated by the 

" Archdall, p. 402. " Lanigin, II., p. 52, 243. 

•* Ibid., II., p. 206. De Bargo (*' Appendix Monastica," a.d. 1762), p 
728, Sf. 

» Walsh, p. 508. " Ibid., p. 510. 

" Lanigan, II., p. 253. ^ Alemand, p. 29. 

" Laoigan, I., 243 ; Walsh, p. 508. 



SOME OF OUR MORE ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. 37 

Anglo-Norman adventurers in the year 1175. But 
just as the Danes, who had raided that holy place nearly 
a century before (a.d. 1059), met with a signal defeat 
because of their disrespect for the memory of St. Columba ; 
so did their equally ruthless successors experience great 
disaster after having so wantonly profaned this favoured 
sanctuary. It was there, too, Hugh de Lacy — ^" the 
Pride of the Invaders, but the destroyer and pro- 
faner of the churches and monasteries of Ireland" 
— ^met his tragic fate. While watching the work- 
men engaged in the erection of his new castle, on 
the site of the ancient abbey of Durrow, he was 
slain by a young man, who immediately escaped 
into the territory of the O'Sioneigh, then bearing the 
title of " Noble," afterwards forfeited by a degenerate 
descendant in accepting a peerage from Queen 
Elizabeth. Finally, there was the great abbey of Leath- 
MORE ^ in the King's County, founded in the sixth 
century by St. Pulcherius — ^nephew of St. Ita, and disciple 
of St. Comgall ; one of his successors as abbot there 
was St. Cuangus, who died some time in the year 747. 
St. Cannice, or Kenny, founded the abbey of Aghaboe ^* 
in the Queen's County, some time in the latter half of 
the sixth century, and died there in the year 600 ; the 
death of another abbot of Aghaboe is recorded as having 
occurred, A.D. 784. In the same county St. Fintan 
established the abbey of Clonenagh ^ ; and had for 
his immediate successor a Saint bearing his own name, 
who died in 625. So rigid were the austerities practised 
by the monks of Cloneagh that even St. Cannice had 
to remonstrate with the holy Founder, who thereupon 
permitted his subjects the use of milk, which, however, 
he still continued to deny to himself. St. Columba had 
the highest esteem for St. Fintan, and frequently advised 
those who came to himself at lona to place themselves 

* Walsh, p. 513. ** Lanigan, II., p. 200. ^ Archdall, p. 59 . 



38 A SECOND THEBAID. 

under the direction of the saintly abbot of Cloneagh : a 
keen mortification to the humble St. Fintan, who implored 
his pious clients not to mention the fact to others during 
his own life-time, at least. The abbey of Annatrim** 
owed its origin to St. Oilman, a contemporary of St. 
Fintan ; that of ACHADUR ^ is attributed to St. Lachtean ; 
and the abbey of ACHAD- Ardglass ** to the holy Founder 
of Cloneagh. During the sixth century St. Breccan 
established the abbey of Cluaine-Murchair *« ; and St. 
Brogan that of Rosturic,*"^ where, probably, he composed 
his famous poem in praise of the virtues of St. Brigid 
at St. Ultan's earnest request. St. Diermit was first 
abbot of the abbey of Gleanussen, ^ which, also, dated 
from the sixthticentury ; Saints Comgan and Murgenius 
were among his successors there. Some ascribe the 
origin of the abbey of MUNDREHID** to St. Lasren of 
Durrow; others maintain that its founder was St. 
Manchen, the Wise, who died about the year 652. 
The annalists merely mention the abbey of Aghmacart ^ 
which was likewise in the Queen's County. 

Among the ancient sanctuaries in the county Meath, 
first place is given to the abbey of Trim, ^^ which was 
founded early in the sixth century by StLoman, a reputed 
nephew of St. Patrick. St. Cormac, of the royal race 
of the Nials, closed his holy career there in the year 741. 
He had a brother named Ruman, whom historians 
style the " Virgil of Ireland." St. Baitellach was another 
brother, who succeeded Cormac as abbot of Trim, and 

*• Ibid., p. 591. 
^ "Appendix Monastica," p. 729. ^ "Appendix Monastica," p. 729. 

^ Walsh, p. 618. In the King's County, also, were the ancient monasteries 
of Killcolgan, KiUagally, KilUiaacIlech, Killiedain, Knity, Lemanchan, 
Munga, Rathbeg and Rathlibthen.— Walsh, pp, 511-515. 

*■' Ibid., p. 620. * Ibid., p. 619. 

^ Ibid., p. 620. "• Ibid., p. 616. 

" Ibid., p. 609 ; Archdall, p. 575. Among other ancient abbeys in 

the Queen's County were those of Cluainchaoin, Desertenos, Desert-Odran, 

Killdelge, Killebbane, Killermc^h, Killfoelan, Leamchnil, Sletty, Teach- 

scutin, Tempulnacaillagh and Timahoe.— Walsh, pp. 618-621. 



SOME OF OUR MORE ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. 39 

survived him just ten years, dying A.D. 751. This 
abbey was richly endowed by the De Lacys for a com- 
munity of Canons Regular towards the close of the 
thirteenth century ; and in the year 1444 many striking 
miracles were wrought before a statue of the Blessed 
Virgin, the fame of which attracted great crowds to 
Trim. In the following century, A.D. 1538, this statue 
was publicly burned, as the Four Masters record, by 
" those who favoured that new heresy which had sprung 
up in England, having its origin in pride, vain-glory, 
avarice and lust." There are writers who quote the 
fact of the existence of a Greek church at Trim in former 
times as an argument of Ireland's renown for holiness 
and learning. 

St. Kieran founded the abbey of DULEEK *' in the county 
Meath. This Saint is said to have been baptized by our 
National Apostle, who, in after years, presented him 
with a copy of the Four Gospels. Several times plun- 
dered by the D^es, Duleek was eventually restored by 
Hugh de Lacy for a community of the Canons Regular 
from the priory of Lanthony, near Gloucester. The 
abbey of Donogh-Patrick *• is said to bear the name of 
its holy Founder ; and Weis one of those monastic insti- 
tutions that suffered grievously from the incursions 
of the Danes. The famous school of Slane** is also 
traced to St. Patrick ; one of its most learned professors 
being that Probus who wrote what is considered the 
best authenticated " Life " of our Saint ; and who was 
killed by the Danes in the year 948. Other invaders 
made a descent on this abbey in 1190, led on by 
Strongbow and the perfidious MacMurrough, neither 
of whom showed any reverence for the sanctuary over 
which St. Ere, also, had once presided ; and which had 
sheltered Dagobert, king of Austrasia, sent thither in 

^ Lanigan, I. p. 341. " Archdall, p. 529. 

'^ Lanigan, p. 223 ; Walsh, p. 607. 



40 A SECOND THEBAID. 

his youth to acquire wisdom and virtue under the 
guidance of the holy monks of Slane. We have already 
seen how the great abbey of Clonard « had St. Finnian 
for its Founder : St. Moel-Mochta being one of its 
renowned masters in the year 940. Clonard was 
profaned both by the Danes, and by the Anglo-Norman 
invaders. The abbey of DvSART — Disert-Mochlmoc •• — 
was founded by St. Colman in the course of the sixth 
century ; that of KiLLABBHAN,*' to the north of the county 
Meath, by St. Abbhan ; and, probably, the abbey of 
Cloonfad " owed its origin to St. Libern, who, like St. 
Senach, was certainly abbot there; but it is also attributed 
to St. Etchen, said to have ordained St. Columba priest, 
whose death occurred about the year 577. 

St. Aidus, Bishop of Kildare some time in the sixth 
century, established the abbey of Rathug » in the county 
Westmeath ; in the same county the abbey of Rathenen ^ 
is attributed to St. Carthag. The great abbey of FORE «^ 
had St. Fechin for its Founder, A.D. 630. Several 
thousand fervent monks dwelt there at the same time ; 
while Saints Brendan, Moddubh, Conadar, Suarlech, 
and Aedgen were among St. Fechin's successors. In 
the thirteenth century (a.D. 1209) Walter de Lacey 
introduced a community of Benedictine monks into this 
abbey, making it subject to that of St. Taurin's, Evreux, 
in Normandy. St. Fechin also established a monastic 
institution at Tippert •* which he made dependent, how- 
ever, on the abbey of Fore. Some writers identify the 
abbey of Cluan-Drackran "—traced to St. Mochua- 
MacNeil in the seventh century— with that of Cloone,"* 
county Longford, concerning which hardly anything is 
known. Moreover, it is inferred from the name TOBER- 

* Walsh, p. 593. * Walsh, p. 692. ^ Ibid., p. 602. 

" Ibid., p. 690. * Archdall, p. 725. 

^ Alemand, p. 43. *^ Lanigan, II., p. 190 sf,; Walsh, p. 692. 

" Archdall, p. 728. "» Ibidem, p. 708. «* Walsh, p. 535. 



SOME OF OUR MORE ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. 4I 

CORMAC** that a St. Cormac was founder of the abbey 
which existed in that place in the county Westmeath. 

St. Ultan, in his " Life of St. Brigid," calk the abbey 
of Ardagh,*' county Longford, " The great Monastery." 
It was founded by St. Mel, said to have been related to 
St. Patrick, and Bishop of Ardagh in the fifth century ; 
he was succeeded by his brother, St. Melchuo. The 
abbey of Inisbofin ^ was established by St. Roc— a Saint 
venerated all over Ireland, because of the miracles 
wrought through his intercession during the sixth century. 
St. Columba is claimed as the founder of the abbey of 
Inismore,** where Saints Senan and Boedhan 
presided as abbots. An abbey was founded at INIS- 
CLOTHRAN,^ another island of Loughree, by St. Diermit, 
probably about the year 540 : a few years later on, St. 
Kieran established the abbey of "All Saints" on 
INISAINGAN, ^® whence he proceeded to found his 
monastic school of Clonmacnoise. ^ A holy Bishop 
called Modun was founder of the abbey of MOYDOE,^ 
and died there in the year 561. 

The interesting remains of the abbey of MONASTER- 
BOICE,^ in the county Louth, insure it special attention ; 
although so little is known of its former history. St. 

M Archdall, p. 728. The following is a list of other ancient monastic 
institutions in the counter Meath: Ardbreccan, Ardcath, Ardmalchan, 
Ardsailech, Ardslane, Caillefolachda, Calleaghtown, Qonmainan, Cloon- 
morfemarda, Desertola, Doiremacaidmecan, Domnachmor, Domnach- 
sarige, Donaghtortain, Dromcorcothri, Dramfinchoil, Drommacubla, 
Dnnshauglin, FearUcherbain, Indennen, Killailbe, Killeen, Killdumagloin, 
Killschire, Lon^skilien, Nuadchonbhail, Pierstown, Rathossan, Roseacfa, 
Teaghenian, Teaehsinche, Telltown, Trevet and Tollen.— Walsh, pp. 587- 
612. While in Westmeath there were the ancient sanctuaries of Clonrane, 
Cloainmnhaoscna, Dnimreilgeach, Comraire» Coniry, Dnimfeartain, 
Dmmcree, Dmmrany, Farrenenamannagh, Farren-Macheigkese, Hare 
Island, Innisvachtair, Kennard, Killare, Killbixy, Killuken, Killtome, 
Leckin, Lyn, Rathenen and Teagh-baithen.— Walsh, pp. 689-701. 
^ Lanigan, I., p. 402. ^ Archdall, p. 44a * Alemand, p. 49. 
'o Ibidem, p. 48. • Ibid., p. 50. 

"^ Ibid., p. 49. In the county Longford there were ancient monasteries at 
Abbeyshruei, Clonebrone, Faurgney, ICillglais, and at Killinmore.— Walsh, 

pp. 535;538; 

^ Lanigan, vol. 1., p. 461. 



42 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Boetius, who died in 522, is said to have been its 
founder ; an abbot of this monastery was drowned in 
the Boyne in the year 762 ; and in 958 the sanctuary 
was plundered by the Danes. St. Mocteus, " the last 
of the disciples of St. Patrick," founded the abbey of 
LOUTH.^ His death occurred on the 19th of August, 
535. St. DichuU was abbot there in the year 700. 
Louth was repeatedly raided by the Danes ; and in 
1 148 Wets destroyed by fire. The abbey of Drum- 
SHALLON,'^ county Louth, was one of those said to have 
been established by St. Patrick ; St. Ronan was its 
abbot in 664 ; and there, in the year 879, died St. 
Aldus VL, king of Ireland. 

The monastic school of Armagh,^* founded by St. 
Patrick about the year 457, is the first mentioned by 
the annalists of Ulster. For ages it continued to be 
the most renowned of all similar establishments through- 
out the world ; but interesting as the history of this great 
abbey undoubtedly is, here we may only allude to the 
fact of thousands upon thousands of the spiritual 
children of St. Patrick having sanctified themselves 
there from the time of its dedication to Saints Peter and 
Paul, until its suppression in the year 1539. Among 
the abbots of Armagh were Saint Duach (a.d. 513;; 
another Saint of the S£une name (A.D. 535) ; St. Fechin 
(A.D. 578) ; St. Echod (A.D. 598) ; St. Senach (A.D. 610) ; 
St. Lasre (A.D. 623) ; and the holy Bishop Thomian 
(a.d. 661), who appealed to Rome for a final decision 
on the famous Pascal question. St. Maelbrigid died at 
Armagh in the year 926 ; and in the abbey-church 
were interred the remains of king Brian Boroimhe, and 

'^ Lanigan, I. p. 308 ; Ibidem, p. 238 ; WaUh, p. 545. 

^* Lanipan, I., p. 312, j^. ; Walsh, p. 360, s^.\ ** Stuart's Historical 
Memoirs of the city of Armagh" (Rev. A. Coleman, O.P. : Dublin, 1900), 
pp. 16 Sff.y 455. In the county Louth were the ancient abbeys of Ard- 
patrickfCluainbroain, Dromcar, Dromfion, Innismochda, Innisken-Deghadh, 
Killclogher, and Killunche.— Walsh, pp. 542-548. 



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SOME OF OUR MORE ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. 43 

of Malachy, Monarch of all Ireland. There was, also, 
attached to the cathedral of Armagh a presbytery for 
priests, who lived in community, obeying a superior 
chosen from among themselves. These priests were 
called "Culdees," a title derived from an Irish word 
signifying " servants of God." Several other communities 
of the same kind existed in the country, and comprised 
not alone members of the clergy, but pious laymen also 
anxious to serve God in a state of celibacy according to 
this method of life, said to have been inaugurated some 
time diuing the ninth century. In the county Armagh 
there was an abbey at Clonfeakle,^* founded by St. 
Lugaid,who died there at an advanced age in the year 580. 

The abbey of Saul," county Down, had also the glory 
of being founded by St. Patrick, who appointed his 
disciple St. Modunn to preside there as abbot. About 
the year 540 the abbey of MOVILLE,^ in the same county, 
was established by St. Finnian, who had been the disciple 
of St. Colmanof Dromore,but was probably ordained in 
Rome. His death occurred in the year 576, when many 
miracles were wrought at his tomb. St. Columba 
studied at Moville in his youth ; and Saints Senell 
(a.d. 603); Sillan (a.d. 619); and Cronan (Ja.d. 650) 
were abbots there. The abbey of Neddrum,^® the largest 
of the Copland Islands, dated from the fifth century, 
having St. Caillin for its holy founder. St. Colman, 
disciple of St. Ailbe of Emly, and the preceptor of St- 
Finnian of Clonard, established the abbey and episcopal 
See of Dromore.^ This Saint is supposed, moreover, 
to have founded the abbey of Magheralin » on the river 
Lagan. 

The abbey of Rathmuighe,®* county Antrim, was, 
probably^ due to the zeal of St. Olcan ; although some 

» Walsh, p. 364. '^ Ibid., p. 418. " Ibid., p. 416. 

'^ Ibid., p. 417. "^ Ibid., p. 416. * Ibid., p. 416. 

" Ibid., p. 359. 



44 A SECOND THEBAID. 

writers assert that St. Patrick himself was the founder." 
We are also assured that our Apostle consecrated a 
Bishop named Brugacius at a place called Rathmuge- 
AVNAICH ® ; this holy prelate was St. Olcan's immediate 
successor at Rathmuighe^ where Saints Adamnan 
(a.d. 725) and Kieran ruled as abbots. The Danes 
often plundered this ancient sanctuary. Yet another 
abbey in the county Antrim is attributed to St. Patrick : 
that of Rathmoane," over which the Saint's disciple 
Erclacius presided. About two miles from the town 
of Antrim there is a place called MuCKAMORE," where 
St. Colman-Elo dedicated an abbey to the Blessed Virgin. 
This great Saint died in the year 610. Segenius, an 
abbot of Hy, is said to have founded the abbey of 
Rachlin,^ an island off the coast of Antrim (AD. 591). 
Saints Flann (a.d. 734) ; Cumineus (a.d. 738) ; Feradach 
(a.d. 794) ; Tuathal (A.D. 848) ; and another St. Feradach 
(a.d. 973) governed this abbey. The Danes made their 
first descent on the Irish coast in the year 790, and pillaged 
the monastery of Rachlin. KiLBOEDAN ^ abbey^ so called 
after its founder St. Boedan, dated from the sixth 
century ; in the seventh that of ACHADH-DUBTHTHGH ^ 
was established by St. Goar; while the holy anchoret 
Kellach, who died in the year 828, chose the place now 
known as Kells^ for the site of his monastery. 

The most celebrated of St. Columba's abbeys was that 
of Derry** established about the year 545 in the county 
of the same name. Quite a number of our Irish Saints 

" Walsh, p. 356. Achadcaoil, Cloaindamh, Drumboe, Kilcholpa, 
Kilmbian, and Slieve-Donard are also mentioned as ates of ancient 
monasteries in the county Down. — Walsh, pp. 409-419. 

" Walsh, p. 359. ** Ibid., p. 359. » Ibid., p. 35^. 

** Ibid., p. 357. " Alemand, p. 94. " Walsh, p. 358. 

» Ibid., p. 354 Sf, 

^ Lanigan, Vol. I, p. 132. ; Vol. II., p 104. The following are included 
among the ancient sanctuaries, of the coonty Antrim : Achaddn, Antrim, 
Ardmasnasca, Ballycastle, Borthbolcain, Connor, Domnach-Braoin, 
Killeaspuicbolcain, Linella, Rathaige, Ratheaspuidnnic, Kathmorbuilg, 
Rathsithe, and Tulach. — Walsh, pp. 354-359. 



SOME OF OUR MOR£ ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. 45 

were abbots here: the succession of superiors being 
uninterrupted until the time of Henry the Eighth. 
It was decided, A.D. 11 58, that the abbots of Deny should 
have jurisdiction over all the monasteries of the " Order 
of St. Columba throughout Ireland." The abbey of 
COLERAINE,*^ county Derry, was founded by St. Corpreus, 
who flourished in the sixth century ; he was succeeded 
by St. Conall, if, indeed, this Saint was not himself the 
first abbot of the monastery, as some writers say. It 
was St. Conall who entertained St. Columba at Coleraine 
after the famed assembly of Drumceat, in which Columba 
manifested such wisdom when called upon to arbitrate 
on matters of highest importance to the State. St. 
Comgall is supposed to have been the founder of Camus*^ 
abbey, which was also governed by St. Colman, who died 
in the year 619. 

St. Patrick is claimed as the founder of an abbey which 
stood on an island of LOUGHDEARG,*^^ county Donegal; 
but it is, likewise, attributed to a Saint of the fifth century 
named Dabeoch. The abbey of Cnodain,** in the same 
county, is traced to St. Conandhil, who died towards 
the close of the sixth century; that of COMBHAIL** to 
St. Fiachra, afterwards abbot of Bangor. St. Ernene, 
a contemporary of St. Columba, Weis first abbot of 
Drumthuoma •• ; St. Finian, who flourished about the 
same time, was founder of the abbey of Maghbile,*^ also 
in the county Donegal. Fahan abbey ,*® established in 
the seventh century, owed its origin to St. Mura, who 
wrote a metrical " Life " of St. Columba (or Columbkillcy 
in Irish. He was succeeded by St. Kellach, the son of 
Saran. The abbey of Both-Conais — Innisowen"®— 

■* Walsh— who, as a rule, quotes Archdall literally— p. 398. 
•" Ibid., p. 39& " loid., p. 407. •* Ibid., p. 405. 

» Ibid., p. 406. •• Ibid., p. 406. ^ Ibid., p. 407. 

•• Ibid., p. 406. 
** Ibid., p. 404. In the county Derry there were ancient monastic 
institutions at Arragell, Dizertoghill, Domnach-Tola, Dunboe, and 
Bfa^^lligan.— Walsh, pp. 398-401. 



46 A SECOND THEBAID. 

dated from the same century, having for its founder, St 
Comgall, brother of St. Christicola. 

A disciple of St. Patrick, known as St. Maccartan, 
died in the year 506 ; he was founder of the abbey and 
bishopric of Clougher,*^ county Tyrone. St. Tigernach 
was his immediate successor; then followed Saints 
Sinell, Fedlimid, Dltan, and several other holy abbots, 
renowned in the Irish Church for virtue and learning. 

In the county Fermanagh, St. Laserian established 
an abbey on Devenish Island,*®* Lough Erne, which 
soon developed into a great monastic school. This 
Saint was a disciple of St. Finnian of Clonard, and died, 
probably, in the year 563 or 564. St. Natalis was the 
next abbot of Devenish, succeeded by St. Sillan, A.D. 
658. A very ancient "Life" of St. Laserian is still 
extant, recording the many marvellous events of his 
holy career. The abbey of DoMNACH-MORE *** was on 
another island of Lough Erne — ^Inismac-saint : it dated 
from the fifth century and was founded by St. Nennius ; 
in the following century St. Sinell MacMoenach had 
an abbey at Cluain-Inis,*^ also an island of Lough Erne. 

St. Moeldod is mentioned as the founder of the ancient 
abbey of MONAGHAN *" : that of Clones,*°^ in the same 
county, was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul by St. 
Tighernach, whose death occurred in the year 550. 

There were abbeys at Drumlahan,*^ and Kjlla-CHAD*^ 
in the county Cavan. The former was under the 

100 u Ware's Bishops," Harris, p. 175. 101 ArchdaU, p. 259. 

*« Ibid., p. 261. 

10s Walsh, p. 441. The Abbey of Baillenagraair-tach was in the county 
Donegal, and also the abbeys of Clonleigh, Conwall, Garton, Iniscael, Inis- 
Samer, Kilbarron, Raphoe, Rathcunga, Sathreginden, Torre- Island, and 
Tulach-Dubglaisse. — Walsh, pp. 402-408. While in the county Tyrone 
there were the ancient monasteries of Airecal-Dachiaroc, Arooe, Ardstraw, 
Domnachmore, Killiny, and Trelick. — Walsh, pp. 676-678. The Abbeys 
of Inisco and Inisrocha were in the county Fermanagh — Walsh, p. 442 ; 
the ancient sanctuary of Tehallen in the county Monaghan — Walsh, 
p. 614 ; and those of Ballylinch, Dromlommon and Mounter-Connaght in 
the county Cavan— Walsh, pp. 370-371. 
'^ Archdall, p. 582. »<» Ibid., p. 385. ^^ Ibid., p. 41. *^ Ibid., p. 41. 



SOME OF OUR MORE ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. \^ 

patronage of the Blessed Virgin, and attributed to St. 
Maidoc ; the latter is said to have been founded by St. 
Tighernach some time in the eighth century. 

In the South of Ireland, the foundation of the abbey 
of Baillendesert, ** county Waterford, is also assigned to 
St. Maidoc of Ferns. St. Findhbar, the companion of 
St. Pulcherius, is mentioned as the founder of the abbey of 
Inisdamhle, *" an island in the river Suir ; St. Brogan, 
as the first abbot of MOTHELL,"® established some time in 
the sixth century ; and we have seen how St. Carthag 
came to found his famous monastic school at LiSMORE,^^^ 
A.D. 630. The abbey of Dungarvan ^^^ dated from the 
seventh century, and is attributed to St. Garbhan ; St. 
Cronan is claimed as the founder of Clashmore."' St. 
Declan having established the abbey of Ardmore,"* in 
the fifth century, was succeeded there by St. Ultan. 

In " The Litany of St. Aengus " there is an invocation 
of the seventeen saintly Bishops, and seven hundred 
holy monks, whose remains rest in St. Finbarr's abbey 
at Cork— A.D. 606 "*— together with those of St. Nessan. 
The abbeys of Cluain,ii' Cluain-Finglass,"^ and Kiix- 
beacan"® — all in the county Cork — are supposed to 
have been established by St. Abbhan, a nephew of St. 
Kevin of Glendalough. The great abbey of Ross "• also 
dated from the sixth century; in the seventh St. 
Molaggan founded his monastic school atTULACH-MraN.i^o 

It was for St. Nessan, whom he himself had ordained 
deacon, that St. Patrick founded the abbey and school 
of MUNGRET,"^ near Limerick. When foretelling the 

108.110 Walsh, pp. 680, 682, 686. »" Harris, p. 548. 

ii*.i» Walsh, pp. 681, Ibid., 679. Ibid.. 386, Ibid., 392, 394, 396. 

^ '• Insula Sanctorum ct Doctorum," p. 507 sq. Lanigan, II., p. 103 5q,\ 
I., p. 291. Achaddagain, Cappah, Cathuir-MacConchaigh, Domnachmore, 
Killinboynan and Molana in the county Waterford are, likewise, associated 
with the names of several of our Irish Saints. — Walsh, pp. 679-686. 
In the county Cork the following are said to have been the sites of 
ancient monastic institutions: Ballymacdanc, Brigoone, Cape Clare, 
Cioggagh, Clonmene, Cloyne, Inniscarra, Inispict, Kilchuilin, Killer! mther, 
Killnamarhban, Kinsale, Legan, Lueiin, and Tuaim-Muisgraidhe. — Walsh, 
PP- 383-393- 



48 A SECOND THEBAID. 

future greatness of Nessan, St. Patrick insisted upon 
the necessity of obedience as the first of all virtues ; for 
this holy youth's fervour in the practice of the same gave a 
guarantee that " he should one day spring up as a 
palm-tree." However, it was rather to St. Munchin, the 
Wise — ^St. Nessan's successor — ^that Mungret owed its 
fame as a monastic school. At one time there were as 
many as six churches within its sacred precincts : the 
home of at least fifteen hundred holy monks^ besides 
the vast crowd of scholars studying there. Five 
hundred of these monks were preachers ; five hundred 
were psalmists; and five hundred were solely devoted 
to a life of contemplative prayer. St. Senan, in the 
course of the fifth century, founded an abbey at 
Iniscathy,^" an island of the river Shannon ; St. Maidoc 
of Ferns had a monastery in the county Limerick at 
Cluain-Claideach 1^ ; and during the seventh century 
St. Mochelloc established an abbey in the same county 

at KiLLMALLOCK."* 

The abbey of Emly,i** county Tipperary, was founded 
by St. Ailbe, the master of so many holy men eminent 
in the Irish Church for virtue and learning during the 
fifth century. So zealous was St. Ailbe in the exercise 
of his apostolic labours that he has been called " a second 
St. Patrick ; " but he is especially famous for his 
marvellous spirit of penance and prayer. St. Ruadan, 
a disciple of St. Finnian of Clonard, was founder of the 
abbey of LORRAH,^^ county Tipperary, where, probably, 
his death occurred about the year 584. The abbey of 
Ardfinian,^ dating from the sixth century, owed its 
origin to St. Finnian ; that of ROSCREA ^^ to St. Cronan ; 
and St. Abbhan founded one at Cluainconbruin ^^ ; 

i«.ii7 Walsh, pp. 375, 5^8, IWd., 669, 656. »» Harris, p. 49a 
19B UB Archdall, pp. 653, 77 (note), 672, 677, 661, Ibid. Allusion is made 
to other ancient abbeys in the coan^ Limerick at Ardpatrick, Castletown- 
Maceneiiy, Kildimma, KiUfiachna, KiUratha, and Killteidhil.— Walsh, ppi 
523-531. 



SOME OF OUR MORE ANCffiNT SANCTUARIES. 49 

while the abbey of Enach-Midbrenin ^^ is attributed to 
St. Aldus, the son of Brec, whose death is recorded as 
having occurred in the year 589. St. Domnan is said 
to have dedicated an abbey to the Blessed Virgin at 
Toome"^ during the seventh century; and one at 
INCHNAMEOBH ^" to Our Lady and St. Hilary. St. 
Pulcherius, also, placed his abbey at INISLAUNACHT,"' on 
the Suir, under the protection of the Mother of God. 
Congan was abbot of Inislaunacht, A.D. 1140; it 
was at the request of this holy monk that St. Bernard 
undertook to write the "Life of St. Malachy" — ^receiving 
from him the MS. materials for this important work. 
The abbey of TiRDAGLASS ^ is attributed both to St. 
Colman-Stellain, and to St. Columba, son of Cremthan : 
the former died in 625 ; the latter in 552. Its abbot 
in the year 838 was St. Moyle Dichru, known as " the 
Sage.** 

Among the more ancient sanctuaries of the county 
Kerry was that of Inisfallen ^ — a picturesque island in 
one of the lakes of Killarney — ^which is first brought under 
our notice. It was founded by St. Finian ; a St. Dichul 
was abbot there, a.d. 640. The famed "Annals of 
Inisfallen " were written in this abbey about the year 
1215, and continued to the year 1320 ; but the names of 
the pious chroniclers are unknown. A holy abbot, 
called Flann Moclellach, is mentioned as the founder 
of another abbey in the county Kerry : Ballinaskeligs 
— or " Saint Michael's Mount " ^^ — so named because 
dedicated to the Archangel, 
^"f St. Senan was also founder of the abbey of Inislua^*'^ 

'^^ Archdall, pp. 653, 77 (note), 67a, 677. Ibid., 661. 

^ ^ Walsh, pp. 674, 473. 

us w Wakh, pp. 373, 374. Among the ancient abbeys of the county 
Tipperaiy may also be mentioned : Coning, Corbally, Domnachmore, 
KiUmorearadthire, Latterachodran, and Moylagh.~Walsh, pp. 666-671. 
In the county Kerry there were, moreover, the ancient monasteries of 
Aghadoe, Aghamore, Monastemi- Oriel, Melchedor's Church, Ratto, and 
Skellig.— Walsh, pp. 472-476. 

E 



50 A SECOND THEBAID. 

— an island in the Shannon — county Clare. It is said 
that he gave the Veil to some noble virgins there. King 
Brian Boroimhe wais, in after years, one of the most 
generous benefactors of the abbey established by St. 
Camin at INISKELTRA ^ in the seventh century. This 
Saint was as renowned for his wisdom as for his great 
holiness ; he wrote a very learned commentary on the 
Book of Psalms. He was succeeded by St. Stellan ; 
and the celebrated Corcoran vias, likewise, abbot of 
Iniskeltra. It was the holy Corcoran who sent St. 
Amnichad, one of his disciples, into exile to impress upon 
him all the more forcibly the great merit of the virtue 
of obedience. For that Saint had one day taken a drink 
of water without having first obtained his abbot's 
permission ; and slight as the imperfection had been, 
neither he himself nor his great Mztster deemed banish- 
ment from their beloved Ireland too severe a penalty in 
atonement. St. Amnichad died at the abbey of Fulda 
in the year 1043. 

In CONNAUGHT, there was St. Jarlath's famed abbey 
of 'TUAM,^** county Galway. This Saint is also said to 
have founded the abbey of Cluain-Fois,»*<> in the same 
county : both monastic institutions gained a widespread 
renown in the course of the sixth century. 

The year 480 is the date assigned for the establishment 
of St. Enda's great abbey on the island known as Arran 
OF THE Saints.*** He had received the entire island as 
a gift from the pious king Aengus of Cashdl through the 
intervention of St. Ailbe of Emly ; and soon a com. 
munity of a hundred and fifty monks were dwelling there, 
submitting to the austerest monastic discipline. Subse- 
quently, quite a number of churches were built on this 

^ Walsh, p. 374. "• »« Harris, p. 602. 

^^ Walsh, p. 445. Besides these two sanctuaries there were also in the 
county Clare the ancient abbeys of Ceanindis, Enniskeny, Inisfidhe, 
Inisanlaoi, Inistymon, Killfobrick, Killaloe, Killoen, KUlshanny, Shraduff, 
and Tomgrany. — Walsh, pp. 372-382. 



SOME OF OUR MORE ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. 5l 

and on the adjacent islands, the fame of Arran attract- 
ing crowds from afar. People braved the fury of the 
Atlantic to seek the spiritual favours enjoyed by those 
who dwelt on " Arran of the Saints." The ancient abbey 
of KiLCONNELL,^** county Galway, was founded by St. 
Conall in the fifth century : he was known as one of 
" the Four beautiful Saints of Ireland," the brother of 
the holy virgin Athracta, and was probably consecrated 
by St. Patrick himself. It seems that the foundation 
of St. Brendan's great monastic school of Clonfert *** 
was predicted by our National Apostle when in the South 
of Ireland. Under the holy abbot's own guidance many 
thousand fervent monks sanctified themselves by the 
practice of prayer and penance, and " by the labour of 
their hands." 

St. Colman was founder of the abbey and Episcopal 
See of KiLMACDUAGH,*** also in the county Galway. 
Dating from the sixth century, Kilmacduagh was so 
called because of St. Colman being the son of Duagh, 
sdon of a family of the race of Hy-Fiachra, from which 
the representatives of many ancient Irish clans can still 
trace descent. St. 0>lman is frequently spoken of as 
being most devoted to asceticism, having long lived as 
a hermit before the establishment of the great monastic 
institution which has been chiefly instrumental in 
perpetuating his fame. His latest successor in the See 
of Kilmacduagh — ^united with that of ELilfenora— 4)efore 
its having been finally placed under the jurisdiction 
of the Bishop of Galway, was the late Most Rev. Dr. 
Patrick Fallon (also of the Hy-Fiachra race), who, after 
governing those dioceses zealously for twenty years — ^A.D. 
1853-1873 — at length resigned the pastoral charge in 
order to emulate St. Colman's spirit of austere asceticism 
among the sons of St. Paul of the Cross. 

** Lanigan, I. p. 429 (note). 

^ " Insula Sanctorum et Doctoram/' p. 22a 

"* Ware (Dublin, 1705), p. 20. See " Arch-diocese of Tuam." 



52 A SECOND THEBAID. 

The abbey of INISQUIN ^^ — an island of Lough Corrib, 
county Galway — was one of those attributed to St. 
Brendan of Clonfert. In the sixth century an abbey 
was established on another island of Lough G)rrib by 
St. Fursey ; and was known as Rathmat, or KlLLFURSA.^** 
Fursey was, likewise, one of the " Four beautiful Saints 
of Ireland " — meriting the title, no doubt, by reason of 
his fervour in insisting upon charity, humility and 
obedience as the means leading the devout soul nearest 
to God : for all evils and miseries arise from the neglect 
of these virtues. His zeal in preaching this sublime 
doctrine caused him to make a missionary pilgrimage 
from end to end of Ireland. St. Cuanna, a relative of 
St. Carthag of Lismore, was founder of the abbey of 
KlLLCOONAGH"^ in the same century; and in this century, 
too, St. Fechin established the abbey of iMAY^^—an 
island off the coast of Galway said to have been the last 
stronghold of Paganism in the country. It was through 
St. Fechin's persevering efforts that the people of Imay 
yielded to the influence of the Gospel, and devoted their 
beloved island to the service of Christ. The same saint 
is supposed to have been the founder of the abbey of 
Ardoilen,^** another island in the county Galway. And 
in the eighth century, St. Boadan established the abbey of 
Clontuskert ^^ not very far from St Brendan's great 
monastic school. 

Having resigned his See, St. Colman, Bishop of 
Lindisfarne, founded, in the course of the sixth century, 
an abbey at Mayo ^*^ for his English disciples : hence the 
title—" Mayo of the Saxons." St. Gerald, an Englishman 
who opened an abbey at Elitheria,^*^ county Mayo, 
succeeded St. G>lman ; and Saints Muredach and Aidan 

145.148 Walsh, pp. 462, 468, 464, 461. The Annalists also refer to the 
following as sites of ancient monastic institutions in the Co. Galway :^-~ 
Ahascram, Dnndrynan, Fidhard, Inis-an-Ghoill, Kilbrenan, Kilcolgan, 
Killfaile, Killoebhain, Killmacdara, and Kilmurry.— Walsh, pp. 445-466. 

M»-in Archdall, pp. 272, 282, 505. "» "Appendix Monastica," p. 734. 



SOME OF OUR MORE ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. 53 

were also abbots of Mayo. During his exile from 
England king Alfred is said to have studied in this great 
monastery. In his poem in praise of Ireland, he tells 
us that he found " Connaught renowned for justice, 
hospitality, lasting vigour and fame." The abbey of 
InisbophinI" is, moreover, attributed to St. Colman. 
Donald, son of Aodh, King of Ireland, founded the abbey 
of CONG,i" A.D. 624. Saints Fechin and MoUaga were 
abbots there ; and there, too, in the year 1 198, died the 
aged King Roderick O'Connor, who had spent the close 
of his life at Cong ; but whose remains were taken to 
Clonmacnoise for interment. 

The abbey of ROSCOMMON ^^ was founded by St. Coman, 
whose death occurred about the year 743. Although 
extremely severe, the monastic Rule of this Saint became 
very popular throughout Connaught ; and his abbey soon 
acquired much fame as a home of holiness and learning. 
St. Aodan was the holy founder's immediate successor. 
As in the case of many other ancient Irish abbeys, the 
succession of abbots was uninterrupted here, notwith- 
standing the ravages of the Danes, until the reign of 
Queen Elizabeth ; having passed into the possession 
of the Canons Regular in the course of the twelfth 
century. St. Liberius (fifth century) founded the abbey of 
Inchmore,^** an island of Loughree, county Roscommon. 
In thesame county there are the sitesof two other ancient 
abbeys : the one at Inchmacnerin ^*^ ; the second at 
Easmacneire,^** both said to have been founded by St. 
Columba before his exile from Ireland ; the latter, however, 
was placed under the care of the abbot St. Dochonna. 

"• Alemand, p. 79, 

^ ^ Walsh, pp. 564, 633. Among the many ancient sanctuaries of the Co. 
Mayo are to be included, moreover, those of Aghagower, Aghamore, Balla, 
Ballentully, Ballina-glass, Bnphen Island, Crossmolina, Inisgluaire, Killco- 
man, Kilicran, Killedan, Killnatrinodei Killfinan, Killmoremoyle, Killala, 
KiUnagarvan, KiUpatrick, Killbride, Killfian, Killin, Killroe, Longhcon, 
Leacnamanagh, Odacheera, Templemurry, Rathcolp, Tarmoncarra, and 
Teannonderbhile.— Walsh, pp. 555-585. 

"••iw Archdall, pp. 612, 611, Ibid. 



54 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Probably the abbey of Clontuskert,^"^ also in the county 
Roscommon, was established by a St. Faithlaca ; while 
the holy Berach — disciple of St. Dageus, and of St. Kevin 
of Glendalough — ^is claimed as founder of the abbey of 
Clooncraft/w about a.d. 600. And St. Evin, the 
contemporary of St. Molua of Qonfert-Molua, was founder 
of the abbey of MONASTEREVAN.i«i There was still another 
abbey in this county which seems to have been over- 
looked by some writers : that of Athleague/®* wherein 
the abbot Macliosa O'Hanayn died in the year 1206. 
The name, we are told, is a corruption of " Athliag " — 
the ford of the stones — the site of the ancient monastery 
being by the river Suck ; arid because a tone time St. 
Maenagan was venerated there, the place was, likewise, 
known as " Ath-liag-Maenagain "... The inscrip- 
tion on the slab of a very old tomb in the humble burial- 
ground, now indicating the site of the original abbey, 
reminds the present writer of the sad reason why our 
ancestors were compelled to anglicize their ancient Irish 
names. For several generations the descendants 
of one of the ''Transplanters" (a.d. 1653)' have found 
their last resting-place there ; although in its English 
form the name may not otherwise be very suggestive 
of the painful memories of those dread Penal Days. 
Among others (A.D. 1765-1839) is the name of the 
father of a zealous priest who laboured at his sacred 
calling in the same neighbourhood for over fifty years ; 
and whose remains lie interred in the parish church of 
Fuerty, close by Our Lady's altar, whereon he had best 
loved to offer the Holy Sacrifice towards the end of his 
long missionary career ^^ . . . . 

St. Patrick is said to have established the abbey 
of Driummea,^** county Sligo ; and in the same county 

"» " Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland " (London, 1837), L, 
p. 379. '"-*" Walsh, pp. 627, 633, 623. 

"» The late Very Rev. Canon Martin Rushe, P.P. (OXuachair). 
M* Walsh, p. 638. 



SOME OF OUR MORE ANCIENT SANCTUARIES. 55 

St. Finnian of Clonard is mentioned as the founder of 
the abbey of Achoniry^^ — ^a.d. 560 — over which, and 
the Episcopal See of that name^ he appointed his disciple, 
St. Nathy. This became one of our great Irish monastic 
schools ; St. Fechin of Fore studied there — the 
accredited founder of the abbeys of Ballysadare,^^ 
BOYLE,!^ KlLLNAMANAGH,^«« DrUMRATH,!*® and KiLLGHAR- 
BAN,^^<* all in the county Sligo. St. Molaisse founded the 
abbey of KiLMALTON ^^^ during the seventh century ; 
and St. Manchan established that of MOHILL,!^^ i^ 
the county Leitrim. 

Even this passing allusion to so many of our more 
ancient sanctuaries will suffice to bring vividly before 
the mind Ireland's former glory as a " Second Thebaid " : 
yet we are assured that but comparatively few of the 
names of those early monastic institutions have survived 
the lapse of time. The list of the nunneries established 
throughout Ireland for the holy women who, from 
the beginning, would emulate the austerities of the Irish 
monks of old, is also sadly incomplete ; here, however, 
we may only make briefest mention of these foundations, 
known to have been once the homes of numbers of 
Erin's saintly daughters — ^not even pausing to dwell on 
the glories of St. Brigid's great establishment at 

KlLDARE^^ A.D. 480. 

St. Patrick is said to have founded " monasteries for 



M5-1W Ibidem, pp. 640-651. "Appendix Monastica," p. 735. The 
following places, also, are claimed as having been the sites of 
other ancient monasteries in the Co. Roscommon : — Ailechmor, Ardcame, 
Basleacomor, Briola, Cluainborean, Cluainmuin, Cluainnamanagh, Dom- 
naghmore, Maghseola, Fidhard, Killchule, Killukin, Killomy, Maghseola, 
Monasterevan, Oran, Teaghnanighean, Teagh-Baithen, and Toberelly. — 
Walsh, pp. 622-636. While in the Co. Sligo there were the ancient 
abbeys of Aughross, Ardsenli&s, Ballinley, Bile, Caille, Caillevinde, 
Cashel Jorra, Cloghermore, Cradbhgrellain, DrumclifTe, Drumrath, Drum- 
coUumb, Eachenach, Emleachfada, Enachard, Glendallain, Inismunay, 
Killcairpre, Killaraght, Killanley, Killuathren, Killmacoen, and Skrine. — 
Walsh, pp. 638-652. And in the Co. Leitrim the ancient sanctuaries of 
Annadun, Clooncholling, Drumlias, Feenah, KUldareis, Killnaille.— 
Walsh, pp. 517-519- 



56 A SECOND THEBAID. 

virgins " at Clonebrone "* and Druimcheo,"* county 
Longford ; at TEMPLE-Brigid i'* and Temple-FEarta,'^ 
county Armagh ; at KiLLARAGHT/^® county Roscommon ; 
and at Druimdubhain/^ county Tyrone. St. Kieran 
of Saigir established a nunnery for his mother, St. 
Lidania at KiLUADHUiN ^^ in the King's County ; that 
of Carrickfergus/^1 county Antrim, was founded by St. 
Darerca during the fifth century ; the same saint being 
responsible for the nunnery of Kill-Slieve-Cuilin,^^* 
county Armagh. The nunnery of Ross-Orry,^^ county 
Fermanagh, is attributed to St. Fanchea ; and to St. 
Conchea that of ROSS-BEN-CHOIR,!^* county Clare. It is 
certain that there was a similar great establishment at 
Clonmacnoise^^ from a very early date; while, in the sixth 
century, St. Regnacia, sister of St. Finnian of Clonard, 
established a nunneryat Reynagh,^^ in the King's county; 
one, also, at Teaghtelle ^^ in Westmeath ; and in the 
county Clare, one at a place called KlLCARRAGH.^^ The 
principal foundation of the great St. Ita was at Cluain- 
CREADHUIL,"® Or KiLiTA, county Limerick. St. Gobnata 
had a nunnery at BAlxyvoURNEY,**^^ county Cork, 
during the sixth century; that of Enaghdune,^®i county 
Galway, was established by St. Brendan of Clonfert for 
his sister St. Briga. There was also a nunnery at 
Faugher,*" county Louth— St. Brigid's birth-place— 
which owed its origin to St. Monenna in the seventh 
century ; St. Segretia's nunnery at Mayo *^ dated from 
the same century ; and in the course of the eighth St. 
Tigernach founded that of DoiREMELLE,i»* county Leitrim, 
for his mother, St. Mella. ... So that we may well 
infer what part the holy virgins of Ireland had in securing 
for their country the glory of a title as beautiful, and not 
less significant than that of " The Island of Scholars 
and Saints." 

iTSjWB Walsh-Conf. ''Appendix Monastica," p. 735. 
i8»«iM f Appendix Monastica," pp. 735, 736. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE CANONS REGULAR. 

There are writers who maintain that the Canons Regular 
date their origin from the time of the Apostles ; but it 
was only between the years 1059 and 1063 that these 
religious received formal recognition as one of the 
monastic Orders.* For at that particular epoch the 
Canons became strictly bound to community-life and to 
the renunciation of property, in virtue of decrees passed 
by Councils specially convened in Rome for this purpose 
under Popes Nicholas II. and Alexander II. at the instance 
of St. Peter Damian. The Rule proposed to the new 
Order was based on St. Augustine's well-known treatise 
on the sacerdotal state; and on that "hundred and 
ninth letter," which is, practically, a code of monastic 
discipline drawn up by the great Doctor himself for those 
nuns who had placed themselves under his spiritual 
direction. Hence, the Canons Regular were said to 
have adopted the " Rule of St. Augustine," being now 
quite distinct from the Secular Canons, who were con- 
nected with the Cathedral Churches. The Order 
became widely known throughout Europe in the course 
of the twelfth century ; branching off eventually into 
various Congregations, called into existence merely 
because of modifications in the observance of the original 
Rule. 

The Canons Regular were first introduced into Ireland 
about the year 11 26 by Imar, the holy and learned 



' Histoire dn Clerg4 Secniier et Regalier " (Brunei, 1716), I. p. 126 sg. 
land, p. 97. "A Catholic Du ' 
Lanigan, voL i., p. 186 sq., (note, 133). 



Alemand, p. 97. "A Catholic Dictionary'* (London, 1885), p. 56. 
D, VOL i., p. : "' 



58 A SECOND THEBAID. 

preceptor of St. Malachy O'Moore. They soon grew 
very popular all over the country ; and it was chiefly 
through their assistance that St. Malachy, after he had 
become Archbishop of Armagh, was enabled to effect 
those reforms in the Irish Church so highly praised by 
St. Bernard. For the Rule of the Canons Regular had 
to be fervently observed in all the abbeys over which 
St. Malachy claimed jurisdiction.' This great Prelate 
succeeded in inspiring a further enthusiasm for the 
monastic state by establishing in one of his abbeys a 
community of monks taken directly from the monastery 
of Clairvaux. 

Following the order of our annalists, we find that an 
abbey for Canons Regular, of the Congregation of St. 
Victor,^ was dedicated to Saint Thomas * in the city of 
Dublin, its principal benefactor being William FitzAdlem 
during the reign of Henry II., who himself made a large 
donation to the same community in the year 1 178. The 
fact of the names of St. Laurence O'Toole and of the 
Papal Legate, Cardinal Vivian, being mentioned in connec- 
tion with the royal gift, suggests that it may have been an 
act of atonement on the king's part for his complicity 
in the death of the martyred Archbishop of Canterbury. 
A long list of the names of other benefactors of this 
abbey has come down to us ; specifying, moreover, 
the nature and conditions of the various donations, and 
leading one to infer that the Canons of St. Thomas's 
were possessed of great wealth : whereas, as a matter of 
fact, so numerous were the dependents on their charity 
that their revenues barely sufficed to meet their most 
pressing needs. In virtue of his office, the abbot of 
this house took rank as a Baron in Parliament. 

Unhappily the monastic chronicles of Ireland are often 

» Lanigan, IV., p. 59 s^, 
> Archdall, p. 178. 

* " Histoire du ClergS," I-i p. 213. (This Congregation was founded in 
Paris, A.D. 1 1 13). 



THE CANONS REGULAR. 59 

most complete in what relates to temporal possessions ; 
owing to the sad reason of their being drawn, to a 
considerable extent, from the official inventories made 
by those appointed to plunder the monks by order of 
King Henry VIII. , and of his daughter, Queen Elizabeth. 
But as for the interest of the spoilers extending to the 
past history of the venerable institutions which they had 
come to suppress ; they studiously endeavoured, on the 
contrary, to destroy the archives of each abbey containing 
all important documents — especially such as showed how 
loyal the monks had been in carrying out the wishes of 
those who would have them their almoners among the 
poor.* 

The actual site of Trinity College, Dublin, was once 
occupied by a priory of the Canons Regular of the 
Congregation of Aroasia.* It was placed under the 
invocation of All Saints,^ having been built by Diarmid 
Mac-Murchard, King of Leinster, in the year 1166, and 
numbering the notorious Strongbow among its most 
liberal benefactors.® Then, there was, also, the Prioiy 
of the Most Holy Trinity • into which St. Laurence 
OToole introduced a community of Canons Regular 
of the Congregation of Arras, A.D. 1163. This house 
is said to have been established in the year 1038 by 
Donatus, Archbishop of Dublin, most generously assisted 
by Sitric, the Danish Prince of the City. St. Laurence 

• It may be remarked, however, that the " Callendars of Papal Registers" 
(Rolls Series), the ** Report of Public Records in Ireland^* (a.d. 1869, 
jy.), and " The Calendar of Ancient Records of Dublin" (Gilbert : Dublin, 
A.D. 1889, vols, i-vii.) furnish much interesting information, of which I 
may not here avail myself, owii^ to the limited scope of my task. — J. P. R. 

• **Histoire duClerg^," I., p. 188. (This Congr^ation dated from the 
year 1090). 

' Archdall, p. 174. 

^ The Superior was a spiritual Peer of the Realm. 

• Archdall, 147. There was also in the city of Dublin the abbey of ** St. 
Olaves," built by an English colony from Bristol, to whom Henry II. had 
granted absolute control in municipal affairs. As for the monastery of 
Witeschan, it is assigned to a community of "Sac Friars," who came 
to Ireland in the year 1268 ; but this Order was suppressed in the Council 
of Vicnne A.D. 131 1. — Walsh, pp. 423-424. 



6o A SECOND THEBAID. 

O'Toole himself lived there as a member of the community, 
giving the greatest edification by his beautiful spirit of 
humility. Fearing, however, that his austerities might 
raise him in the esteem of the religious, he was wont 
to make lengthy retreats amid the wilds of Glendalough ; 
thus impressing upon the monks the first object of their 
holy vocation : to influence the world by keeping their 
own souls in constant union with God. This monastery 
was, also, called " Christ-church " ;^^ and became famous 
as a place of pilgrimage, because of the many precious 
Relics preserved there; among others, the celebrated 
" Staff of Jesus." But all perished at the hands of the 
Iconoclasts of the sixteenth century, the priory and 
its possessions serving as a reward for some of those 
courtier prelates who had basely yielded to the wishes 
of an unscrupulous king. 

In speaking of Christ-church, we may draw attention 
to the very unusual fact of there having been two 
Cathedrals in the city of Dublin. That of St. Patrick 
was founded in the year 1190,^1 on the site of an ancient 
church supposed to have been built by the Saint himself ; 
the principal reason for its establishment being 
merely to satisfy the devotion of the pious people to their 
National Apostle. Although enjoying all the privileges 
of a Cathedral, it was distinctly understood that the 
prior and community of Christ-church should take 
precedence of the Dean and Chapter of St. Patrick's, 
And it was finally arranged, on account of some contro- 
versy that arose in the year 1 300, that the Archbishops 
of Dublin should be consecrated and enthroned in the 
priory of Holy Trinity. St. Patrick's, like Christ- 
church, was seized by the royal agents in the course of 
the sixteenth century. 

" " Histoire do Qerg^." I., p. 168. (Founded a.d. 1066). Walsh, pp. 
107, 422. 
" " A History of the City of Dublin '* (Gilbert : jld. 1854), I., p. 104. 



THE CANONS REGULAR. 6l 

The Canons R^ular of the Congregation of St. Victor 
had also a priory at LUCAN/* county Dublin. It was 
endowed, under the patronage of St. Catherine, in the 
year 12 19, by Warrifius Peche — ^" f or his own soul's 
welfare, and for the repose of the souls of all his deceased 
relatives and friends." This foundation was united 
to the abbey of St. Thomas, Dublin, some time before 
the suppression of the Irish monasteries. Sitric, son 
of Murchard, built a priory for Canons Regular at 
Inis-Patrick,^ in the same county. A famous Synod 
was held there in the year 1148, at which St. Malachy 
assisted as Papal legate. The site of this monastery 
was found altogether unsuitable, so Henry de Londres, 
Archbishop of Dublin, allowed the community to change 
to HolmPatrick, thus named because St. Patrick is said 
to have disembarked there on coming to preach the 
Faith in Ireland, There was another foundation made 
for the Canons Regular at Castleknock " by Richard 
Tyrdl, who undertook this work of piety in honour of 
St. Brigid some time in the thirteenth century. 

St. Mary's abbey, Kilrushe,*^* county Kildare, was 
established in the thirteenth century for a community 
of Canons Regular, its principal benefactor being William 
Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke ; in the previous century a 
priory of the same Order had been endowed at NAAS,^*by 
the Baron of Naas, and dedicated to St. John Baptist. In 
the county Kildare, also, Myler FitzGerald erected the 
priory of Great Conall " on the banks of the river 
Liffey, A.D. 1202. The first community of this house 
was taken from the abbey of Lanthony in Monmouth- 
shire, Our Lady and St. David being the Heavenly 
Patrons, and its prior holding rank as a " lord of 
Parliament " although not often called upon to exercise 
his functions in that capacity. An effort was made to 

" Archdall, p. 254. ^ Ibidem, p. 218. " Ibid., p. 131. 

" Ibid., p. 332. " Walsh p. 489. 



62 A SECOND THEBAID. 

save Great Conall at the suppression of the monasteries 
of the Pale ; but eventually the lands and buildings fdl 
to the share of one of Queen Elizabeth's favourites. 
The Canons Regular of St. Victor had the priory of St. 
Woolstan's, near Leixlip/' built for them in the year 
I20S by Adam de Hereford ; in 1538 King Henry VIII. 
disposed of it to reward a certain Allan of Norfolk, the 
then Master of the Rolls. 

It seems that King Diarmid MacMurchard was seized 
with remorse for having sacked the town of FERNS ^ in 
the year 1 166 ; for we find that he replaced the ancient 
abbey founded there by St. Aidan in the sixth century 
by a monastery for Canons Regular which he richly 
endowed and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. Some 
writers maintain that the abbey of Selsker,*^ also in 
the county Wexford, owed its origin to the Danes after 
their conversion. It dated from early in the twelfth 
century, and was under the protection of Saints Peter 
and Paul, the Roches, a powerful Wexford family, 
being its most generous benefactors. The superior of 
this house, also, sat as a Baron in Parliament. Its 
fate at the Suppression was, of course, the same as that 
of the other Irish monasteries. The priory of DoWN,*^ 
couhty Wexford, was built in the eventful year, 1172 ; 
and soon afterwards Gerald de Prendergast founded the 
priory of Enniscorthy ^ ; on condition, however, that 
it should be subject to the abbey of St. Thomas, Dublin. 
The foundation at Enniscorthy was under the patronage 
of St. John the Evangelist : it is interesting to note that 
the monastic buildings and lands passed into the possession 
of Edmund Spenser eventually ; a fact, however, not 
likely to render the great poet's memory more endeared 
to the Catholics of Ireland. 

St. John's abbey — so called because under the invo- 

"•" Ibidem, pp. 482, 488, 706. » Ware, Ant., p. 81. 

" ArchdftU, p. 735. ^ Lewis, yoL i, p. 603 s^. ; Archdall, p. 740. 



THE CANONS REGULAR. 63 

cation of the Evangelist — was founded in the city of 
KlLKENNY,«8 A.D. 121 1, by William Mareschal, Earl of 
Pembroke, for the relief of the poor, who should thence- 
forth have the Canons Regular to appeal to in times of 
greater distress. The abbey became municipal property 
after the wholesale confiscation of the Irish monasteries ; 
the new owners being sadly unmindful of the sacred 
claims of the poor. There was a priory at INISTIOGE,** 
county Kilkenny, dedicated to " Our Lady and St. 
Columba," and built by Thomas FitzAnthony in the 
year 1206. This good work was undertaken at the 
suggestion of Hugh Rufus, Bishop of Ossory, who had 
been himself a Canon Regular in the abbey of Bodmin, 
Cornwall ; and before his elevation to the episcopate had 
held the office of prior at Kells in the county Kilkenny. 
The priory of the " Blessed Virgin Mary of Kells " ^ 
was built, A.D. 1 193, by Geoff ry FitzRobert, who brought 
over its first community from the abbey of Bodmin : 
Strongbow is mentioned as one of the chief benefactors of 
the priory of Kells. The Blanchfield family, also, are 
said to have endowed a priory for the Canons Regular 
at Fertagh,^^ county Kilkenny, sometime during the 
thirteenth century, placing it under the protection of 
St. Kieran. 

Allusion is made to only one foundation of the Canons 
Regular in the county Carlow : that of the priory of 
St. Stephen, said to have been established in the eleventh 
century at Old Leighlin ^ by a Norwegian captain, 
named Burchard ; it seems to have been dissolved by 
the authority of Pope Eugene IV. in the year 1432. 
In the Queen's County, also, there appears to have been 
but one house of the Order : the priory of Aghmacart,^* 
dedicated to St. Tigemach ; and built on the site of the 
ancient abbey by the O'Dempsey family. 

" Ibidem, p. 368. «* Ibid., p 359. 

35.26 Walsh, pp. 494, 492, 368, 616. 



64 A SECOND THEBAID. 

The O'Kellys founded a priory for the Canons at 
DuLEEK,^ county Meath, in honour of the Blessed Virgin 
during the reign of King Edward the Third. It would 
seem that the hospital established in the same place about 
the )^ar 1403 was entrusted to the care of this 
community. Walter de Lacy endowed the monastery 
of St. Peter at CLONARD ^ in the twelfth century ; that of 
COLPE,'^ on the Boyne, being founded in the year 1 1 82 by 
Hugh de Lacy, the Elder, and made subject to the Canons 
Regular of Lanthony in Wales. Towards the end of the 
twelfth century, an abbey was founded for the same 
Order at Navan ■* by Joceline Nangle and dedicated to 
Our Lady. John Bole was abbot there in the year 1450 ; 
and obtained a Bull from Pope Nicholas V., granting 
an Indulgence to all who should visit the abbey and 
contribute to the keeping of the church and monastery 
in repair. The Canons Regular had also an abbey at 
Newtown,*^ built by Simon deRochfort, Bishop of Meath, 
A.D. 1206. Like the Cathedral-church, this monastery 
was under the invocation of Saints Peter and Paul. 
An English nobleman, named Jordan Comin, endowed 
a priory at Ballyboggan ^ during the course of the twelfth 
century, in honour of the Blessed Trinity. And there 
was an abbey of the Canons Regular, under the protection 
of St. Mary Magdalen, at Ratoath,*^ still in a prosperous 
condition, A.D. 1456 ; but the only other fact known 
concerning it is that of its suppression in the year 1538. 

Ralph Petit, Bishop of Meath, founded a priory for the 
Canons Regular at Mullingar,*^ county Westmeath, 
A.D. 1227, which became popularly known through the 
country as ''The House of God." About the end of 
the twelfth century Geoffrey de Constantine endowed a 
priory in the same county at Tristernach,'^ in honour 

Walsh, pp. 598, 593» 594- 

Archdall, pp. 558, 560, 514, 5^8, 7«. Alcmand, pp. 31-45. 
jchdall, p. 729- Alemand, pp. 3I-45- 



WW ArdidaU, pp. 556, 500, 514, 500, 722 
' Archdall, p. 729- Alemand, pp. 31-45 




o 
o 
< 



THE CANONS REGULAR. 65 

of the Blessed Virgin, the Bishops of Ardagh being always 
among its most generous patrons. 

In the course of the thirteenth century one of the 
Dillons of Drumrany built a monastery for the Canons 
R^ular on the site of the ancient abbey of Inisaingan," 
county Longford. It was granted to Sir Patrick 
Bamwall at the Suppression. About the same time 
another house was established for the Order at Deirg,** 
also in the county Longford. The pious founder's 
name was Gormgall O'Quinn. 

The ancient abbey of LouTH ^ was restored by Donchad 
O'Carrol, prince of Orgiel, and Edan O'Kelly, Bishop of 
Clogher, for a community of Canons Regular ; and placed 
under the patronage of Our Lady. The church was 
consecrated by St. Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh. 
This devout prince of Orgiel also endowed the abbey of 
Saints Peter and Paul at Knock,*^ near Louth. His 
own death is recorded as having occurred there in the 
year 1168. Marianus O'Gorman, the Hagiolc^st, 
who was superior of this abbey, died A.D. 1181 ; and in 
1 47 1 we find that the abbot of ICnock was heavily fined 
for having dared to profess " a mere Irishman " there, 
contrary to the infamous statute — ^framed to perpetuate 
those racial prej^idices which from the beginning have 
caused so much misery and suffering in Ireland. 

When the renowned I mar was abbot of the monastery 
of Armagh,*^ a.d. i i 26, he introduced into his community 
the reformed Rule of the Canons R^ular ; while St. 
Malachy, his zealous disciple, re-built the ancient abbey 
of Saul,** county Down, in the year 11 38, for religious 
of the same Order. St. Malachy also restored the once 
far-famed abbey of BANGOR,** in the same county ; and 
soon the virtues and learning of the Canons Regular 
there recalled the glory which Bangor had attained in 



' Archdall, pp. 441, 439, 471, 466, 24. 
^ Archdall, pp. 128, loS. 



66 A SECOND THEBAID. 

the days of St. Comgall. This was the beginning of 
the grand revival of Monasticism in the Irish Church, 
whereby St. Malachy so far succeeded in rousing the 
fervour of both clergy and laity, that the words of the 
Psalmist : " Thou hast visited the earth, and hast plenti- 
fully watered it ; Thou hast many ways enriched it " " 
— were afterwards applied to Ireland by the holy abbot 
of Qairvaux. 

In brief, we may say that the great St. Malachy was, 
probably, born at Bangor in the year 1095. On his 
return thither from the monastic school of Lismore, 
A.D. 1 125, he was appointed abbot; although at this 
time the abbey of Bangor seems to have been little better 
than a ruin, owing to the frequent ravages of the Danes. 
St. Bernard assures us that as many as nine hundred of 
its monks were slain on one occasion by these ruthless 
raiders.^ However, St. Malachy was not discouraged 
by the difficulties of the tremendous task before him : 
resolved to assume the duties as well £is the title of abbot 
of Bangor. Accordingly, he built a little wooden 
oratory amid the ruins of the ancient abbey ; erecting 
cells for his monks around it, as Ireland's holy Founders 
had been wont to do. And thus, while devoting himself 
to a life of greatest austerity, he perfected that work of 
reform which was destined to confirm the nation's claim 
to be regarded once more as " An Island of Saints : the 
Western Thebaid.'* He sent some of his own disciples to 
Qairvaux in order that they might be trained by St. 
Bernard himself in the monastic spirit ; from that famous 
abbey, too, he brought over a community of the 
Cistercian monks to Ireland. God willed that he 
should, likewise, die there in the arms of St. Bernard, 
A.D. 1 148 ; and in the year 1190 he was canonized by 

• Ps. Ix., la 

« Divi Bcrnardi, Op. " Liber de Vita S. Malachige Ep.," p. 1961 jf . 
Tianigap, IV., pp. 59, 133. Mention is also made of a foundation of t^ 
Order at Tobei^loryi Co. Down.-— Walsh, p. 419. 



THE CANONS REGULAR. 67 

Pope Clement the Third. Never once had St. Malachy 
wavered in carrying out his glorioiis project ; although 
the obstacles which he had to contend with appeared 
almost insurmountable at times ; but he was always 
supported by Rome ; and he treely^ utilized his position 
as Archbishop of Armagh and Papal legate to forward 
the sublime purpose which alone he had ever in view. 

Some time before the Anglo-Norman Invasion, the 
O'Brian Carrog is said to have restored the ancient abbey 
at Diseart-Kellach, or Kells/^ county Antrim, for a 
community of Canons Regular, as an act of devotion 
in honour of the Blessed Virgin. The O'Cahane built 
a priory for the same Order at Dungiven,^ in the county 
Derry. The church and cemetery were solemnly 
restored for the exercise of Divine worship by the Arch- 
bishop of Armagh, A.D. 1397, having previously been 
desecrated by the shedding of human blood. 

MacNodus MacKenlif, King of Ulster; endowed an 
abbey for the Canons Regular at LiSGOOL,** county 
Fermanagh, A.D. 1106, placing it under Our Lady's 
protection. It seems that this monastery was to have 
been rebuilt on a more suitable site by the Maguire, a 
lord of Fermanagh ; but the pious work remained 
uncompleted by the time of the Suppression under King 
Henry the Eighth. 

In Munster, a priory for the Canons Regular of St. 
Victor, was established near the city of Waterpord,*® 
and is supposed, to have dated from the conversion of 
the Danes, some of whom endowed it in honour of St. 
Catherine. Pope Innocent III. confirmed this com- 
munity in all their possessions about the year 12 10, Elias 
FitzNorman being at the time one of their most generous 
benefactors. The priory of Waterford is said to have 
been always in a flourishing state until the Suppression of 
the Irish monasteries. 

«-• Walsh, pp. 36s, 401, 443- 



68 A SECOND THEBAID. 

The ancient abbey of St. Finbarr in the city of CORK " 
was restored, A.D. 1134, by King Cormac of Desmond, 
who placed it under the patronage of St. John Baptist. 
We are told that the holy abbot GioUa, of Cork, assisted 
at the famous Synod of Kells in the year 1152, where 
there were present very many Bishops and fully three 
thousand Priests. Philip de Barry endowed a priory 
for the Canons at Ballybeg,^^ county Cork, in honour 
of St. Thomas. His grandson David, also, proved a 
generous benefactor to the religious of this house. Then, 
there was a priory at BRIDGETOWN," on the Blackwater, 
richly endowed by the Roches during the reign of King 
John. The first community came partly from Newtown, 
county Meath, partly from the abbey of St. Thomas, 
Dublin ; and it was dedicated to Our Blessed Lady. 
During this reign, too, a priory was built in the same 
county at TULLELASH »* by Matthew MacGriffin : the 
Canons had, besides, another foundation not far from 
the city of Cork at a place called Weeme,^ under the 
protection of St. John the Evangelist ; and one at the 
Corbe of 0*MoLAGGlE,*« concerning which merely the 
fact of its existence is known. 

In tiie city of Limerick ^^ a certain Simon Minor built 
a priory for the Canons Regular in the time of King 
John, under the invocation of Saints Mary and Edward. 
Another pious man, named Harvey, erected a priory 
at Rathkeale,'* as an act of homage to Our Lady, A.D. 
1200 ; at the close of the same century, this house was 
richly endowed by Eleonora Purcell. The abbey for 
Canons Regular at Kynnethin,'^' county Limerick, dated 
from some time in the thirteenth century also. 

Donald O'Brien, King of Limerick, rebuilt the ancient 
abbey of Inislaunacht, «> county Tipperary, for a 
community of the Canons Regular in the year 11 84. 

»•« ArchdaU, pp. 698, 62 «(?., 56, 57 (Walsh, p. 384). 
»*^ Archdall, p. 80, Ibid. »^ Walsh, pp. 394, S30. 533i 530- 



THE CANONS REGULAR. " 69 

Among its benefactors was Malachy O'FOELAN, that 
heroic prince of the Decies, whose gallant defence of 
Waterford against the Anglo-Norman invaders obtained 
for the city the proud title of " Urbs Intacta," which it 
holds to the present day. For many a year, we are 
told, the mere mention of the name O'Foelan sufficed 
to fill the most daring of those adventurers with awe. 
The priory of Athassel «i— A.D. I200^s attributed to 
William FitzAdlem de Burgo, who would thus prove 
his devotion to St. Edmund, King and Confessor. The 
superior took rank as a Baron in Parliament. About 
the same time, a priory was established at Nenagh •* 
by Theobald Walter, head of the Butler family. It was 
also known as " the Hospital of St. John " ; there was a 
permanent obligation on the community there to receive 
and care for the infirm and poor. The priory of Our 
Lady was built at Cahir •• by Geoflfry de Camvil during 
the reign of King John ; at the same epoch William de 
Cantwell and his wife Dionysia founded a monastery 
for Canons Regular at Carrick-ON-Suir,** dedicating it 
to St. John the Baptist, 

The priory of KiLLAGH,^ county Kerry, under the 
patronage of the Blessed Virgin, was established some time 
in the thirteenth century, by Geoflfry de Mariscis ; the 
prior was a spiritual peer of the Realm. There was a 
priory at Rathboy,*® also, dating from the same century, 
and dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. A Canon 
Regular named William was the founder. 

Clare ^ abbey was another of the monastic institutions 
generously endowed by Donald 0'Brien,King of Limerick* 
in honour of the holy Apostles (A.D. 1195). He was 
also founder of the priory of Inis-Na-Gananagh,* county 
Clare, about the same time. 

In the county Galway, there was a priory of 
the Canons Regular at AUGHRIM,*^ built by Theobald 

*^ Ibidem, ppi 656-671. 



70 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Butler, during the course of the thirteenth century, 
and dedicated to St. Catherine. Abbey-Gormogan,^ 
in the same county, was established by the 0'Gorm(^[an 
in honour of the Blessed Virgin, A.D. 1308. And there 
was an abbey at Enaghdune,^ dating, probably, from 
the thirteenth century ; but it is doubtful whether the 
community were Canons Regular or members of the 
Order of St. Norbert. 

Cathal O'Connor, king of Connaught, was founder of 
the abbey of Ballintobber," county Mayo, having 
undertaken this pious work in honour of the Most Holy 
Trinity, A.D. 1 2 16. The abbots of this monastery 
built the priory of CROSS,'* in the same county, and placed 
it under the protection of the Blessed Virgin. Annagh '* 
priory owed its origin to Walter de Burgo, who was a 
great benefactor to the community there in the fifteenth 
century. 

The Canons Regular had a priory at LiSDUFF « in the 
county Roscommon, dating, probably, from the thir- 
teenth century, and dependent on the abbey of Cong. 
In the course of the same century the O'Connors 
established a priory at Derane.'* Con O'Flanagan 
endowed a similar institution at KJLLMORE " in honour 
of Our Lady ; it was consecrated by Donagh O'Connor, 
Bishop of Elphin, A.D. 1232. 

.^ . . . The Canons Regular had, undoubtedly, 
many other foundations in Ireland of which we have 
no record now ; and we have seen that a number of the 
ancient abbeys were handed over to them in the course 
of the twelfth century. However, sufficient has been 
said to show how popular the Order became throughout 

•-'» Walsh, pp. 657, 658, 474, 476, 372, 375, 445» 444, 454- The 
Canons Regular are said to have had houses at Carrick, also in the 
county Tipperaiy ; and at Inchycronane in the county Clare. — ^Walsh, pp. 

865,373. 
'*"* Archdall, pp. 495, 501. 
^ Walsh, p. 632. 
'»-'» Archdall, pp. 609,613, 172, 2x6, 173. 



THE CANONS REGULAR. ^X 

the cx)untry from the revival of Monastidsm in the time 
of St. Malachy O'Moore. 

Of the nunneries established in Ireland for pious 
women desirous of living according to the Rule of the 
Canons Regular^ express mention is made of that founded 
in Dublin ^* by Dermot MacMurchard, King of Leinster, 
in the year 1 146 ; and of the convent of Grace-Dieu ^» 
in the county Dublin, built by John Comyn, who governed 
the Archdiocese, A,D. 1190. The present Dame Street, 
Dublin, also, derives its name from a nunnery known 
as *" Sainte Marie Del Dam.* ^ It is also said that the 
King of Leinster endowed a house for the " Canonesses" 
at Killcleeheen," county Kilkenny, A.D. 1151; and 
one in the county Carlow at Athaddy, about the same 
time. 

O'Melaghlin, King of Meath, was founder of a nunnery 
at Clonard,^ sometime before the Anglo-Norman 
invasion : towards the end of the twelfth century the 
MacMahon family built a convent for the same Order 
at TERMON-FECfflN,^ county Louth. The Canonessesof 
TiMOUN, ** county Kildare, were indebted for their nun- 
nery to Robert, Baron of Norah, in the reign of King John; 
and about the year 1200 Walter de Riddlesford founded 
that of Graney®* in the same county. The Warrens were 
chief benefactors of the nunnery established at KnxEiGH,* 
King's County, during the course of the twelfth century ; 
the Bamewalls that of Odder,^' county Meath jjA-D. 1 195) ; 
while King Donald O'Brien was founder of a nunnery 
in the city of Limerick.^ Another convent was estab- 
lished in the county Meath at LiSMULLEN* — A.D. 1240, 
by Alicia, sister of Richard de la Comer, Bishop of Meath ; 
and the Butlers built a convent, sometime during the 
fourteenth century, in honour of St. Brigid at Moylagh,*^ 
county Tipperary. 

* Archdall, pp. 495, 501. See Gilbert's " Histoiyof Dublin," p. 158. 
«•« Walsb, pp. 366, 593, 553, 490. 4Si» 5", 60S, 530, 603, 671 



72 A SECOND THEBAID. 

It is quite certain that many other houses were estab- 
lished for these nuns in Ireland before the time of the 
Suppression ; for it is distinctly stated that seven convents 
owed obedience to the nunnery of Odder in the county 
Meath. And there is ample evidence to lead us to infer 
that the fervour of the holy virgins of the early Irish 
Church was zealously emulated throughout the country 
during the Middle Ages. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE NORBERTINES. 

Once popularly known in Ireland as the " White 
Canons," the members of the Order of St. Norbert are 
also called Premonstratensians. For the holy Founder 
named that remote valley of Picardy " Pr^montrd," 
after it had been revealed to him there that he was 
destined to be the leader of a white-robed host, most 
zealous in the service of God (A.D. 1119).* Having been 
joined in his lonely retreat by some thirteen companions 
eager to profit by his example and advice, St. Norbert 
proposed that they should observe the Rule of the Canons 
R^ular, drawing up at the same time certain Consti- 
tutions, characteristic of his own fervent spirit, which 
rendered a mode of life already very rigid still more 
severe. And thus was inaugurated an Order that 
flourished vigorously in the Church until about the 
time of the French Revolution : comprising at one 
period of its existence as many as a thousand abbeys, 
together with numerous priories and provostships ; 
while there were fully five hundred convents of 
Norbertine nuns. The White Canons of St. Norbert 
first came to Ireland some time in the twelfth century 
— probably at that glorious monastic revival due to the 
unceasing labours of St. Malachy O'Moore. 

The abbey of TUAM,* county Galway, seems to have 
been the Mother-house of the Norbertine Order in Ireland. 
It was dedicated to the Blessed Trinity, and endowed 

* " Histoire du Clcig^," vol. i., p. 234 ; •' A Catholic Dictionary/* p. 684. 
' Alemand, p. 133 ; Archdall, p. 298. 



74 A SECOND THEBAID. 

by a member of the De Burgo family. Some writers 
are of opinion that it was immediately subject to the 
abbey of Pr^montr^ ; others think that it was under 
the jurisdiction of the abbots of Podolia^ in Poland. 
Nor is it known whether the members of this community 
were required to undertake the service of the Cathedral- 
church : that magnificent structure built by the 
renowned Aidanus O'Hoissoin, Archbishop of Tuam, 
between the years 1130 and 11 50, King Turlough 
O'Connor taking an active part in this grand enterprise. 
Few of the ruins of the original edifice now remain — 
replaced by the present Cathedral, towards the building 
of which the late Dr. MacHale (one of the greatest of St. 
Jarlath's successors) lent powerful aid ; and at a time 
quite as eventful in the history of Ireland as when the 
famed O'Hoissoin welcomed the White Canons of St. 
Norbert to Tuam. One of the Anglo-Norman adven- 
turers burned down all the churches there in the year 
1204 ; in 125 1 an abbot of this monastery, named Giolla 
O'Laghtnan, was drowned in the Irish sea. Probably the 
poet Maurice Gibellan, mentioned as " a Canon of Tuam,* 
was a member of the same community. He was a 
most learned man, skilled in the laws ; a famous philos- 
opher, and gifted with that true poetic instinct, which 
prevents genius ever descending to unworthy themes.' 
It is also probable that several monks of this abbey were 
called to govern the See of St, Jarlath ; although the very 
incomplete list furnished by Ware contains no express 
allusion to their names. At the Suppression, Tuam 
abbey was granted to the municipal authorities of the 
town of Athenry, who appear to have been high in the 
favour of Queen Elizabeth. 

A community of White Canons from the abbey of 
Tuam is said to have been established at Enaghdune* — 

» Ware*s " Irish Writers," bk. i., p. 23. 

* Archdall, p. 283 ; Lewis, vol. i., p. 29 ; Ware's ** Antiquities," p. 146. 



THE NORBERTINES. 75 

now Annaghdown — cx)unty Galway, in the course of 
time ; but some writers hold that this abbey, under the 
patronage of the Blessed Virgin, belonged to the Canons 
R^rular. It is certain, however, that the Canonesses 
of the Congregation of Aroasia had a nunnery in the 
same place, built on the site of the ancient sanctuary 
of St. Briga in possession of which the religious were 
confirmed by Pope Celestine III., A.D. 1195. Here we 
may add that Annaghdown had once been a Bishop's 
See, but was united to the Archdiocese of Tuam some time 
in the sixteenth century. Extensive ruins of the 
Norbertine abbey and church are still to be seen on the 
eastern shore of Lough Corrib. A White Canon, named 
Nicholas, was abbot of Annaghdown in the year 131 1 ; 
the Norbertine Bishop John, who was in charge of the 
diocese of Elphin just before the suppression of the Irish 
monasteries, may also have been a member of the same 
community ; and Walter Blake, a native of Galway, and 
a Canon of Annaghdown, was called to govern the See 
of Clonmacnoise. The last-named prelate was highly 
esteemed by Pope Sixtus IV., who had intended to appoint 
him to the Archdiocese of Tuam ; but in the meantime 
he was chosen Bishop of Qonmacnoise, A.D. 1487 ; his 
death occurred in the year 1508. It is interesting to 
find that one of the Catholic institutions to escape notice 
longest in the reign of Queen Elizabeth was a school 
dedicated to St. Brendan at Annaghdown, and in charge 
of two priests — ^Fathers Clement Skerret and Thady 
Maclnyllis : a fact bitterly deplored, it seems, by the 
royal agents. 

One of the most important houses of the Norbertine 
Order in Ireland was the abbey of Holy Trinity, estab- 
lished by MacMoylin O'Malchonry, Archdeacon of Elphin, 
on an island — afterwards known as TRINITY ISLAND* — 
in Loughkee, county Roscommon. The inventory of 
" Walsh, p. 633 ; Archdall, p. 614* 



76 A SECOND THEBAID. 

its various possessions, made during the reign of Queen 
Elizabeth (whose agents bestowed it on a man named 
Robert Harrison), proves how generously this abbey 
had been endowed. A striking item of interest of this 
nature refers to a deed of gift under date of the year 
1239 : it illustrates a custom by no means uncommon 
among noble Irish ladies at that particular epoch — ^a 
testimony to their pious charity. We are told that 
Lafair Fina, daughter of Cathal Croibhdearg and wife of 
O'Domhnvill, set aside part of her dower as a donation 
to the White Canons of Loughkee, the gift comprising 
a full half of the townland of Rosburn. 

Trinity Island was a retreat well calculated to withdraw 
the mind from the things of this world ; and we are 
assured that even holy Bishops, like Dionysius O'Mordha, 
were wont to retire thither in order to prepare themselves 
for death. Many of the White Canons there attained 
to a high degree of sanctity : among others Gilliosa 
O'Gibbellan, who flourished in the year 1234. Members 
of this community, too, were called upon, from time 
to time, to forsake their beloved retreat to assume the 
burden of the Episcopate. Thus, Gilliosa O'Mac- 
Enlyahana O'Connor, abbot of Holy Trinity, was Bishop 
of Elphin from the year 1285 to 1296; and Charles 
MacEnlyahana O'Connor, another abbot of this monas- 
tery, governed the same diocese from the year 1 308 ; 
but died, eventually, at an advanced age among his 
brethren at Loughkee. What has been said concerning 
the deep interest taken by the members of the different 
Religious Orders of Ireland in the preservation of the 
National Annals, is well borne out by the diligence of a 
certain Norbertine of Holy Trinity during the fifteenth 
century.* To this learned monk we are indebted for 
the " Annals of Loughkee," written partly in Latin 
partly in Irish — a treasury of most interesting and 

• Ware's " Irish Writers," p. 23 (bk. i. cap. xL). 



THE NORBERTINES. 77 

important information. Perhaps his labours were the 
fruit of a praiseworthy desire to repair the loss of such 
documents as had undoubtedly perished, A.D. 1466, 
in the accidental destruction of the abbey by fire. 

One of our Irish Confessors of the Faith was an abbot 
of Loughkee : the heroic Hugh Mulkeeran.^ He was 
arrested in Dublin in the year 1580, and put to a very 
cruel and ignominious death by the heretics, because 
they could not prevail on him to renounce his Religion 
and the monastic profession. His companion in this 
glorious struggle was the holy Gelasius O'CuUenan, whose 
wondrous fortitude led as many as five hundred of the 
apostates back to the Fold of the Church. 

There were two other Bishops of Elphin, who may 
have been members of the Order of St. Norbert. 
For we are assured that Malachy MacBrien — ^who 
died in Rome, A.D. 1302 — and his successor, Donagh 
O'Flanagan (a prelate of great prudence, fervour 
and hospitality, whose death occurred in the year 1 303), 
were both abbots of the ancient monastery of Bewely ^ : 
a corruption of Beaulieu, and, according to Montalembert, 
a name truly suggestive of its monastic origin. This 
abbey was in the county Waterford, just a few miles 
distant from Lismore. But the ruins which are to be 
seen there mark the site of an establishment belonging 
to the Knights Hospitaller ; so that it is difficult to say 
for certain whether the Norbertines, or, perhaps, the 
Canons Regular, had really a foundation there.' 

The pious O'Malchonry must have had a great venera- 
tion for the sons of St. Norbert ; it seems he was, likewise, 
instrumental in establishing them atATHMOY,i<> county 
Sligo, taking the first community from the abbey of 
Holy Trinity, Loughkee. All the property of this 

' " Our Martyrs" (The Rev. Denis Murphy, S.J. : Dublin, 1896), p. 115 
• Ware's " Bishops," p, 11. • ArchdaU, p. 685 

» Walsh, p. 640. 



78 A SECOND THEBAID. 

monastery passed into the hands of Robert Harrison 
at the Suppression, and was finally granted to a certain 
William Crofton. The same "Clarus O'Mulchonry" 
is said to have built a third house for the Norbertines 
in the year 1233 at a place called KlLRUlSSE," also in 
the county Sligo, making it subject, however, to the 
abbey of Holy Trinity. Some are inclined to identify 
this place with Athmoy, where the ruins of an ancient 
monastery are still to be seen, a few miles east of O)llooney." 
To the eflforts of the zealous O'Mulchonry, moreover, 
the priory of LOUGHOUTER,*' county Cavan, owed its 
origin, A.D. 1294. This foundation was made about 
two years before his own death, a grant of land having 
been obtained for the pious purpose from Cathal 
O'Reilly. Loughkee supplied the members of the first 
community, the title of the Most Holy Trinity being 
chosen at the dedication. In the year 1570, Hugh, 
chief of the Sept O'Reilly, succeeded in renting this 
abbey from the agents of Queen Elizabeth, hoping 
that a community of the Norbertines might be 
permitted to remain there under his immediate 
protection. But this proved utterly impossible after 
the Suppression. On the mainland opposite Lough- 
outer was the site of the great abbey of Slanore, founded 
by St. Columba — the scene of a number of striking 
miracles : there St. Fechin of Fore restored sight to a 
St. G)lman who had been blind for many years ; there, 
too, St. Ruadhan of Lorrha raised the king of that 
country from the ^ead, having prayed to Grod for him 
at the earnest entreaty of the sorrowing people." 

The Norbertine abbey of WoODBORN," near Carrick- 
fergus, county Antrim, was established in the thirteenth 
century and dedicated to the Blessed Trinity. Its 

^" Archdall, p. 637. " Lewis, vol. ii., p. 204. 

" Ibidem, p. 42 ; Walsb, p. 371, 
" Bollandists, vol. ii, p. 393. 
" Archdall, p. 7 (EdiUon, 1873), vol. i., p. 11, Note 31. 



THE NORBERTINES. 79 

principal benefactors were the Bissets, a Scotch family, 
who, being implicated in the murder of the powerful 
Earl of Athol, had to leave their own country about the 
year 1242. They received extensive lands in the county 
Antrim from King Henry III. ; and in atonement for 
their part in a most heinous crime, they richly endowed 
the priory of Woodborn, which remained subject, how- 
ever, to the abbey of Drieburg in Scotland. The site 
of the new monastery was on the left bank of the river 
Woodbume — ^whence the name Woodborn, or Goodborn ; 
but even early in the second half of the seventeenth 
century not a vestige of the ruined priory remained. 
For the stones of both church and monastery had been 
all removed not long after the Suppression, in order to 
build a mansion for one of Queen Elizabeth's favourites 
close to the castle of Carrickfergus. This act of 
desecration was signally punished in the event, the 
governor of the town seizing on the recently erected 
building and the adjoining lands. Gillerath MacCouragh 
was superior of Woodborn in the year 1 542, when it fell 
into the hands of the agents of King Henry the Eighth. 
A Franciscan Friar, named Edmund MacCana, assures 
us that on visiting the place in A.D. 1640 he met 
several old men who remembered having often seen the 
aged White Canon in their boyhood. After the seizure 
of Woodburn, the members of the community escaped to 
Island Magee, where all died eventually. According 
to the same writer, the remains of a monastic edifice 
in the vicinity, known among the people as " The Church 
of the Monks,** belonged to another foundation dependent 
on the priory of Woodburn. Furthermore, Friar 
MacCana himself saw the ruins of an ancient monastery, 
three or four miles to the north of Belfast, popularly 
called " The White Abbey " ; but which he seems 
inclined to assign to the Order of the Knights of St. 
John, 



8o A SECOND THEBAID. 

The Norbertine abbey of Ballymore,** county West- 
meath, dated from the year 1 2 1 8, when it was founded by 
the De Lacy family in honour of the Blessed Virgin, the 
various endowments being confirmed by Papal sanction. 
Some writers, however, assert that this monastery be- 
longed rather to the Gilbertine Order ; but, even so, it 
might still — ^according to a provision of the Constitutions of . 
St Gilbert of Sempringham, in Lincolnshire, A.D. 1148 — 
have been subject to the White Canons of St. Norbert. 
This abbey may have occupied the site of an ancient 
sanctuary founded in the same place about the year 700, 
concerning which nothing further is known. The 
adjoining church became the cathedral of the heretical 
bishop of Meath in the time of King Henry VIIL During 
the reign of Queen Elizabeth the monastic buildings and 
lands were handed over to one of the royal favourites. 
As Ballymore was chosen for the head-quarters of the 
English army in the year 1641, very likely the stones 
of the ruined abbey were used in the construction of the 
forts ; not a wall is left standing now. The tower to 
be still seen near the town was part of a strong castle 
built there by the De Lacys, probably, that family being 
exceedingly powerful in Ireland when the Norbertines 
were introduced into Ballymore. 

It may prove interesting to explain here how Hugh 
de Lacy came to be more popular in Ireland than any 
of the other Anglo-Norman Knights, notwithstanding 
the fact of his having acquired his vast wealth and 
possessions by oppressing those at his mercy with " a 
strong hand." It was probably due to his having 
gained the friendship of King Roderick O'Connor, whose 
daughter he married, so extending his influence by this 
alliance as to excite the jealousy, if not the fear, of even 
Henry the Second. However, De Lacy easily appeased his 

^* Alemand, p. 136. This author does not state his reason for sajring that 
the abbey was dependent on the Order of St Norbert. Walsh, p. 689. 



THE NORBERTINES. 8l 

Toysi master by assuming an attitude of most humble 
submission; so that Henry confirmed him in the 
possession of the territory of Meath, already bestowed 
on this dutiful subject; and actually appointed him 
governor of the city of Dublin. Tieman O'Rourke 
had not quietly suffered himself to be thus plundered 
of his patrimony of East Meath when De Lacy strove 
to wrest from him the whole of that ancient kingdom. 
Aged as that prince was^ his resistance proved a serious 
obstacle to De Lacy's ambitious designs. In order to 
expedite matters, a friendly interview was arranged 
between the Irish chieftain and the King's favourite, 
with the result that the helpless O'Rourke fell a victim 
to an assassin's sword at the instigation of the treacherous 
De Lacy. The murdered prince's head was sent to 
Dublin as a very effective illustration of the Anglo- 
Norman method of dealing with the native Irish." 

Eventually, a rumour of De Lacy's ambition to become 
King of Ireland reached Henry II., who instantly deprived 
him of his important position as governor of Dublin, 
nominating to that office in his stead the notorious 
Philip of Worcester — the most ruthless of all the Anglo- 
Norman adventurers with whom the Irish people had 
yet to deal. Soon afterwards King Henry's own son 
was sent over as " Lord of Ireland " ; but we know how 
Prince John's conduct drove the native chieftains to 
desperation, so insolent and grasping were he and his 
court of profligate young nobles. Recognising the grave 
nature of the mischief done, Henry recalled his worthless 
son back to England ; but was solemnly assured by him 
that the failure of the mission might be traced to the 
disloyalty of Hugh De Lacy. Before the now disgraced 
noble could appear in his royal master's presence to 
defend his cause, he met with that tragic death, which, 
as we have seen, was accompanied by certain circum- 

" " The History of Ireland" (Havcrty : Dublin, 1865), p. 227 j^. 



82 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Stances clearly pointing to its being in revenge for, 
perhaps, th^ most cowardly of all De Lacy's crimes 
in Ireland : the base betrayal of the aged Tiernan 
O'Rourke. Yet this same Hugh De Lacy, whom 
our annalists have described as " the profaner and 
destroyer of many churches," was one of those Anglo- 
Normans who tried to make some reparation for their 
misdeeds by endowing monastic institutions here in 
Ireland. And not a few of his descendants — among 
them the founders of Ballymore abbey —became remark- 
able for their generosity towards such religious 
establishments ; while, in after ages, they suffered 
great persecution for their loyalty to the land of their 
birth, and to the cause of Catholic Truth. 

The last foundation of the Irish White Canons of which 
mention is made was known as ** St. Mary's of the Hill " in 
the city of Galwav.^* This priory — situated in the Western 
suburb, commanding a view of the Bay^owed its origin 
to the O'Halleran family, the first community coming 
from the Norbertine abbey of Tuam. By command of 
Pope Innocent VIII. it passed into possession of the 
Dominicans of Athenry, A.D. 1488. The after history 
of "St. Mary's of the Hill" is extremely interesting, 
inasmuch as it recalls many thrilling episodes in Ireland's 
glorious struggle for the Faith. When the ruthless 
Sir Charles Coote was encamped before Galway in the 
year 1650, the citizens themselves destroyed the 
monastery; fearing lest it should be occupied by the 
enemy, who from so commanding a position could soon 
reduce the town with his guns. But it had previously 
been arranged with the Dominicans that the citizen 
should make full compensation by rebuilding the house 
at the very earliest opportunity, either on the same site 
or wherever else the members of the community might 
decide. A copy of this deed of agreement between the 

" " Monasticon Hibemicum*' (Ed. 1876), vol. ii., p. 206, Note 14. 




to 

d 



O 



c 
u 



THE NORBERTINES. 83 

Friars and the Mayor and citizens of Galway is to be 
seen in " The Annals of West Connaught." However, 
after the town had surrendered "on very good and 
honourable terms "—soon to be most shamefully violated 
— ** the three scourges^ famine, plague and the sword," 
prevented the accomplishment of this pious project. 
For that once famous city was speedily depopulated : 
fully two thousand of its inhabitants— heretofore 
renowned at home and abroad, as the best and wealthiest 
merchants in the Kingdom, and equally for their refine- 
ment, hospitality, and generosity — ^having been sent 
to the Barbadoes to be sold there as slaves. Twice 
as many more died of the plague ; numbers of others were 
hiding in hovels and among the hedges, or lying in the 
snow ; while the Cromwellian soldiers plundered those 
many happy homes, once fit residences for princes and 
kings. 

Unlike a number of the other Irish sea-port towns, 
Galway was never in possession of the Danes. In the 
course of time the Anglo-Normans did succeed in estab- 
lishing themselves there; although Ware informs us 
that, with exception of Cog^n and Sir John de Courcy, 
the Invaders failed to gain a foot-holding in Connaught 
before the end of the reign of King Henry the Second, so 
heroic was the prolonged resistance of the native chieftains 
west of the river Shannon." But this devotion proved 
powerless in the end to hinder the immediate descendants 
of Hugh de Lacy seizing upon almost the entire Province ; 
one of them being the ancestor of the Ljniches, a family 
famous in the history of Galway. Still we are assured 
that ** the strangers " failed to convert the ancient city 
into an * English town." As late as the year 15 18, we 
find laws being framed to deter the inhabitants of Galway 
admitting into their houses anyone from the surrounding 
Irish Septs ; so as to render it quite impossible for " an O, 

*» " Andqaities," p. 122. Haverty, pp. 225-232. 



84 A SECOND THEBAID. 

or a Mac " to enter the city. Neither might one become 
a " freeman of Galway " unless he could speak English ; 
and consented " to have his upper lip shaved weekly ' 
— ^under a penalty of twenty pounds sterling — as a sig^ 
of submission to ** the foreigner's rule" (a.d. 1522). 
In this instance the piety of the Irish people acted as a 
most effective means for the preservation of their 
nationality ; for nothing could prevent them making 
their annual pilgrimage to St. Brendan's Well near the 
Quay : with the result, that, of all the towns in Ireland, 
Galway alone can boast of a district in which the language 
and customs of the country have been jealously guarded 
down to the present day. And in far more important 
respects did the people resist the influences of their 
oppressors when certain apostate representatives of the 
Anglo-Norman adventurers endeavoured to rob them 
of their Faith in the time of Henry VIII. and of Queen 
Elizabeth. Ignorance was the method adopted to effect 
so grievous a wrong among the Catholics of Ireland, and 
the Galway schoolmasters, both clerical and lay, gained 
for themselves a glorious renown by their open defiance 
of those shameful Penal Laws, the ancient City of the 
Tribes being then known as **The Refuge of Irish 
Scholars." 20 

Besides the Norbertine foundations to which allusion 
has been made, other houses of the Order are said to 
have existed in Ireland, but the more reliable authorities 
do not mention them for ^yant of satisfactory evidence. 
The White Canons were far more numerous in England, 
where they had at least thirty-five monasteries before 
the reign of King Henry the Eighth.*^ However, there 
was a wider field in the English rural districts for the 
exercise of the Apostolic zeal of these religious, who 
enjoyed the special privilege of being eligible to the charge 

» •' Monasticon Hibemicum," toL ii., p. ao8, (Note 14). 
" " A CathoUc Dictionary," 695 (note). 



THE NORBERTINES. 85 

of parishes without requiring further Papal dispensation. 
Judging from the fact of their abbeys and priories being, 
for the most part, in remote places, it would seem that 
the Norbertines in Ireland advanced the interests of 
Religion by co-operating fervently in the revival of 
Monasticism in the Irish Church ; practising in the 
seclusion of their cloisters a most rigid ascetic Rule. 
And for this very reason, perhaps, they became all the 
more endeared to a people who could well appreciate the 
important services thus rendered both to their country 
and to their Faith. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLER OF ST. JOHN. 

Of the many Military Orders instituted in the Church 
from the beginning, that of the Knights Templar has, 
undoubtedly^ the most interesting history. It was 
established early in the twelfth century (a.D. 1113) by 
nine French Knights for the defence of the newly founded 
Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem; receiving, in due 
course, all requisite Papal sanction. At the express wish 
of Baldwin IL, king of Jerusalem, the first house of the 
Order was built close to the site of Solomon's Temple : 
whence the name assumed by those enrolling themselves 
in this noble cause of Christian chivalry. To the three 
vows of Religion, the Knights added that of perpetual 
warfare against the Infidels ; and continued long to edify 
Christendom not alone by their heroic bravery in the 
field of battle, but, especially, by the fervent practice of 
the monastic virtues, leading a most austere mode of life. 
Eventually, various motives of expediency necessitated 
the formal suppression of this Order at the time of the 
Ecumenical Council of Vienne, held under Pope Qement 
v., A.D. 131 1, when all the lands and other possessions 
of the Templars were confided, by the same Ecclesiastical 
authority, to the Knights Hospitaller of St. John. * 

These Knights of St. John of Jerusalem were of a 
much earlier origin than the Templars, dating from 
about the middle of the eleventh century ; although their 
Rule, based on the mode of life prescribed by St. Aug^tine 

^ Alemand, p. 133. "A Catholic Dictionary/' p. 790. 



THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLER OF ST. JOHN. 87 

for those aspiring to perfection, was only confirmed 
canonically in the year 11 20 by Pope Calixtxis II. The 
pious founders of the Hospitallers were some merchants 
of Amalfi, who had opened an asylum in Jerusalem for 
poor pilgrims visiting the Holy Places. This humble 
service won the admiration of Duke Godfrey himself, and 
of many of the most noble among the Crusaders — par- 
ticularly, because of the good done by those self-sacrificing 
men during the siege of Jerusalem. And soon "the 
Brothers of the Hospital of St. John Baptist " developed 
into a Congregation, comprising numerous communities, 
each zealous in the same grand work of Christian charity. 
After its formal recognition by the Church, the new 
Order had its members divided into Knights of noble 
birth. Chaplains, and Brothers-servants. The Knights 
Hospitaller were introduced into France as early as the 
year 11 50 ; and there first became known as the Knights 
of St. Lazarus, so named after one of the principal Patrons 
of their Order. But from the year 1530, they were 
more generally called the Knights of Malta, having 
obtained possession of the Island of Malta from Charles 
v., retaining the same until it was surrendered to 
Napoleon, A.D. 1798. 

A very interesting, yet little known phase of the history 
of the Knights Hospitaller was their incorporation with 
the Military Order instituted by Henry the Great in 
France. It was a noble attempt to revive that spirit of 
chivalry which had animated the first Crusaders, and 
which was crowned with a success that might have still 
persevered, but for the great social upheaval at the end 
of the eighteenth century. For, in establishing the 
" Order of the Knights of Our Lady of Carmd," it was 
the pious monarch's object to further, under Papal 
sanction, the cause of Religion by the defence and propa- 
gation of the true Faith ; by the extirpation of heresy ; 
and the conversion of unbelievers. The first Grand 



88 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Master of the Order was the Chevalier de Nerestang^ who 
died, from wounds received in battle, in the year 1620 ; 
his remains being interred within the cloister of the 
Discalced Carmelite monastery at Lyons, which he 
himself had founded. This episode, in the later history 
of a Military Order so renowned at the time of the 
Crusades, is of special interest in connection with the 
monastic annals of Ireland ; since the " White Friars of 
Carmel * came to this country at the very epoch the 
former glory of the Templars was about to be enhanced 
all the more by the fervent zeal of their successors, the 
Knights Hospitaller of St. John.* 

The priory of KiLBIAINHAM,* County Dublin— «3 called 
from St. Magnend, who is said to have had an abbey 
there, A.D. 606 — ^was the first foundation made for the 
Knights Templar in Ireland. The credit of the pious 
project is attributed to Richard de Qare, Earl of Pembroke 
— ^far better known as " Strongbow " — ^who seems to have 
been encouraged in the undertaking by King Henry II. 
(A.D. 1 1 74). This was one of the noblest monastic build- 
ings in Ireland, and most richly endowed by its numerous 
benefactors, The Prior was a Spiritual Peer of the Realm, 
the first to hold this office at Kilmainham being Hugh 
de Qoghall; one of his successors, after the monastery 
had passed into the possession of the Knights Hospitaller 
at the suppression of the Templars owing to the 
decision of the Council of Vienne, was a certain 
Walter de Aqua, From a record of the year 1274, it 
appears that the Knights of Kilmainham were compelled 
to take part in an expedition against the native Irish : 
many of the Templars were then slain in battle, the 
prior himself, William FitzRoger, being among the 
prisoners captured at Glenmalure, county Wicklow. This 

3 " AnnaUs des Camui DichauUs tU Franci,** (Laval : 1891), toI. L, 
pp. Iv-viL 
* Ware, " Antiquities," p. 78. Walsh, p. 431, sq. 



THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLER OF ST. JOHN. 89 

same prior played a prominent part in Irish politics for 
a number of years. In 1279 we find him refusing to 
obey Edward the First, who had commanded him to take 
up arms gainst the " mere Irish " : he protested that the 
sword which he wore should not again be stained by 
Christian blood ; knowing, moreover, that the King's 
foe in Ireland simply fought for land and home. So 
FitzRoger pleaded that his superior, Hugh Revell, had 
already summoned him to Palestine ; and that he was 
bound by his vow to go. The King threatened to con- 
fiscate the priory of Kilmainham if his royal commands 
were not obeyed forthwith ; and although the sequel is 
not told, we may infer how repugnant those expeditions 
against the native Irish were to the chivalrous Templars. 
Year after year generous donations — chiefly of land 
— ^were bestowed on the priory of St. John the Baptist 
at Kilmainham. There can be no doubt that the pious 
benefactors held the members of this community in 
high esteem, notwithstanding the scandalous rumours 
about the Templars that were growing rife at the 
beginning of the fourteenth century. In most instances 
it was the intention of the charitable donors — as in the 
case of the lady Matilda de Lacy(A.D. 1301) — ^that these 
gifts should profit their own souls and the souls of their 
relatives and friends, living and dead. Indeed, so popular 
had this Military Order become in Ireland by the year 
1307, that King Edward the Second, when commanding 
the seizure of the Knights Templar together with their 
possessions, found it necessary to get his plans executed 
suddenly and secretly, and before the knowledge oi 
what had already been done in England could reach the 
Irish people generally. At this particular epoch the 
Templars are said to have had at least sixteen thousand 
flourishing establishments in various parts of the world ; 
and to have been possessed of great wealth and power. 
In fact, their prosperity had begun to excite the envy and 



90 A SECOND THEBAID. 

dread of Philip the Fair, of France, who became most 
active in exaggerating such irregularities as may have 
existed in individual communities into gross charges 
against the entire Order; and, of course, had little 
difficulty in getting the Templars throughout his 
kingdom condemned by compliant judges — ^the posses- 
sions of the suppressed Knights being immediately 
seized by the Crown. 

Edward IL, of England, hoping to reap a like rich 
harvest of plunder, followed the French monarch's 
example ; and here in Ireland the trial of the Templars 
took place at Dublin with great solemnity, their con- 
demnation following, for motives of state policy, although 
the evidence proved them guiltless of the grievous 
crimes laid to their charge. Eventually, as we have 
seen, the dissolution of the entire order at the Council 
of Vienne was occasioned by the pressing exigencies of 
those times ; and the ICnights Hospitaller were com- 
missioned to continue the work which it was no longer 
expedient for the Templars to do : a decision by no 
mesms grateful to those confident that the property of 
the suppressed Order would now become secularized. 
But the English king, among others, had to submit to 
this prudent course of the Council with a feigned good 
grace. And thus did the priory of Kilmainham come 
to be peopled by a community of the Knights Hospitaller 
of St. John of Jerusalem, with William de Ross as their 
first superior. 

De Ross was succeeded by Roger Utlaugh, whose 
name frequently occurs in the records of this house 
from the year 1 316. He was Lord Chancellor of Ireland 
in 1 32 1, still retaining his office as prior of Kilmainham ; 
and in 1332 he was appointed, by royal commission, to 
make overtures of peace to the heads of the Irish Septs 
still struggling to retain their lands and independence. 
It would seem that he was allowed to use his own 



THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLER OF ST. JOHN. QI 

discretion with regard to the terms to be offered to 
those victims of Anglo-Norman aggression ; but we are 
not informed of the results of the good offices which he 
exercised on that occasion. Again, in the year 1338, 
we find the same prior undertaking to reward the piety 
and charity of a benefactor named Roger de Erykelot, 
with a share in all the prayers and good works of the 
members of the community at Kilmainham. Utlaugh 
died within two years, renowned for great virtue, 
but especially esteemed because of his zeal for the 
Order : always most earnest in guarding and ad- 
vancing the interests of the priory under his immediate 
care during so long a term of office. The names of his 
successors down to the time of the suppression of the 
Irish monasteries have been preserved ; mention being 
made of a certain Gerald, son of Maurice, lord of Kerry, 
as the last Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller in 
Ireland. 

Sir John Rawson, an Englishman and favourite of 
King Henry VIII., was put in possession of Kilmainham, 
his apostacy being further rewarded when he was created 
Viscount Clontarf, receiving a rich annuity out of the 
plundered monastic estates. However, in the reign of 
Queen Mary (A.D. 1557) the lawful prior of Kilmainham 
— ^Sir Oswald Massingberd — ^was restored to his office and 
to the possessions of that monastery ; this act of justice 
being effected by the Papal legate, Csu-dinal Pole, whose 
venerable mother — ^Margaret, Countess of Salisbury — 
had been put to death at the command of King Henry 
the Eighth. When Queen Elizabeth came into power, 
Massingberd — ^as an upholder of orthodoxy — had to flee 
the kingdom ; and Kilmainham fell once more into the 
hands of the royal spoilers, the Queen's favourites in the 
ancient town of Athenry coming in for a share of the 
sacrilegious plunder, * It is said that the fine East 
^Archdall, pp. 221-250. Lewis, vol. ii., p. 169. 



92 A SECOND THEBAID, 

window in the chapel of the military hospital at Kil main- 
ham — established, under the auspices of the Duke of 
Ormonde for invalid soldiers, A.D. 1680 — belonged 
originally to the church built there by the ICnights 
Templar. 

Not far from the scene of Brian Boroimhe's glorious 
victory over the Danes at Clontarf • there was a com- 
mandery of the Knights Templar, which must certainly 
have been founded before the year 1185 ; and which, 
according to some writers, seems to have been endowed 
by King Henry II. soon after the Anglo-Norman invasion 
of Ireland. As this monarch and Strongbow — perhaps 
the most ruthless of his mercenary followers — are now 
to appear before us in the character of benefactors of 
various Irish monastic institutions, it will be necessary 
to dwell here briefly on the nature of their expedition 
to this country, and on the causes that led to its ultimate 
success from their point of view. • 

When Dermot MacMurrough, a king of Leinster 
of very scandalous fame, fled from Ireland to escape 
the vengeance of Tiernan O'Rourke of Breflny for 
the abduction of Dervorgil (Dearbhforgaill) — ^that Prince's 
wife — ^King Henry was in Aquitaine striving to curb 
the growing power of the nobles there ; while at home 
in England his tyranny was being heroically resisted 
by St. Thomas a Becket (A.D. 1166). Hence, he was 
unable to afford personal aid to MacMurrough, who had 
appealed to him against the Irish Princes, at length 
determined to check the King of Leinster's career of 
crime ; but unhappy dissensions led eventually to the 
ruin of those chieftains themselves, and to the nation's 
misery. As King Henry was quite willing to allow 
anyone to undertake the expedition to Ireland in his 
name, MacMurrough next sought the assistance of 
Strongbow — a mere soldier of fortune, whose skill with 
•Ware's " Antiquities," p. 77. • Haverty, pp. 181, «y. 



THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLER OF ST. JOHN. 93 

the formidable weapon most in vogue at the time gained 
for him this surname — a man of much bravery, im- 
doubtedly, although dead to all sense of justice or 
mercy, should the exercise of either virtue imply the 
slightest restraint on his avarice and ambition. Being, 
it seems, in almost desperate financial circumstances, 
Strongbow eagerly complied with MacMurrough's wishes^ 
and, joined by a number of other knights of equally 
precarious fortune, led a band of mercenary Anglo- 
Norman soldiers into Ireland. Conspicuous among these 
adventurers were two sons of the profligate Nessa, with 
many of their kinsmen, all thoroughly imbued with the 
vices common to mercenaries of that age : their advent 
to Ireland was, accordingly, signalized by countless deeds 
of violence and sacrilege. Nevertheless, many of them were 
evidently seized with remorse later on ; and either they 
themselves, or their immediate descendants — ^in a spirit 
of sincere atonement, it is to be hoped — ^rendered great 
service both to the Church and country by the establish- 
ment of not a few of our ancient Irish monasteries. 
Furthermore, numbers of the children of the Anglo- 
Norman invaders devoted their lives to God's service in 
those homes of penance and prayer, being thus the first 
of their race to become, under the influences of Religion, 
" more Irish than the Irish themselves " in feeling and 
sympathy ; and this notwithstanding the odious laws 
which, subsequently, would raise — even in the cloister — 
a barrier between them and the children of those whom 
their forefathers had wronged so grievously. 

In order to insure for himself the lion's share of the 
rich plunder which he and his companions had come over 
to seize, Strongbow espoused MacMurrough's daughter, 
Eva ; causing himself to be proclaimed king of Leinster 
after his father-in-law's death in the year 1171. Indeed* 
his power had so increased as to rouse the sus- 
picions of his royal master, whom he hastened to appease 



94 A SECOND THEBAID. 

by repairing in person to England. The King then led 
a large army into Ireland, taking back with him Strong- 
bow and other knights. One of the reasons assigned for 
this step was that he might thus distract attention from 
his own guilty part in the murder of St. Thomas a Becket. 
From the very beginning, Henry's policy towards the 
Irish was one of guile and hypocrisy. He protested that 
he had merely come to protect them from the rapacious- 
ness of his English subjects, invading the country against 
his royal will. Still, we find him confirming those self- 
same plunderers in possession of the lands which they 
had seized ; even were we to forget how readily he had 
yielded to the wishes of the perfidious MacMurrough. 
He now actually granted the city of Dublin to the 
burghers of Bristol — ^requiring, however, that his own 
suzerainty should be acknowledged accordmg to the 
usual conditions of the feudal system, which the Anglo- 
Normans were then trying to introduce into Ireland. 
To crown his duplicity, Henry pretended to take a keen 
interest in the reform of the Irish Church, with the 
result, as a contemporary English writer assures us, that 
** the miserable clergy were reduced to beggary in the 
Island," and that the very cathedrals were sacri- 
legiously despoiled. (a.D. 1172.) 

The Irish Princes began at length to realise the nature 
of Henry's designs. They strove to regain possession of 
their lands and to drive the strangers from the country 
by force of arms. And so difficult did they make it for 
the invaders to guard the spoils of all those plundered 
homes, that, even at the time of Strongbow's death 
(a.D. 1 1 76), the Anglo-Normans feared lest his loss should 
cause a panic among the adventurers generally ; for 
he had always been regarded as their leader, although 
the fame which he had acquired among them was not, 
by all accounts, merited by those qualities of mind charac- 
teristic of a truly great man. However, Strongbow must 



THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLER OF ST. JOHN. 95 

have died sincerely repentant, at all events ; we are 
told that St. Laurence OToole himself was present at 
his obsequies in the cathedral now known as Christ's 
Church, wherein his tomb may still be seen. Perhaps 
the one great action ot his life was the founding of that 
house for Knights Templar at Kilmainham, with which 
his name is connected, and which took place only a short 
time before his death ; his own martial ardour influencing 
him, probably, in his choice of a Military Order, 
especially as the ICnights Templar had by that time 
gained so high a renown for themselves, owing to their 
heroic devotedness in the exercise of their noble calling 
in the East. 

Besides those two establishments in the Cbimty Dublin, 
the Knights Templar had various other foundations in 
Leinster, several dating from the twelfth century. The 
lady Matilda de Lacy built a commandery for them at a 
place called KllLLSARAN, ^ coimty Louth. In the year 
1329, we find the superior of this house also governing 
a preceptory at KiLMAlNHAMBEG,® county Meath, 
endowed by Walter de Lacy during the reign of King 
Richard the First. The preceptory of Kilmainham-wood, • 
also in the county Meath, was established by the Preston 
family sometime in the thirteenth century. In the county 
Kildare there i^ere commanderies at Killibegs,^® 
KiLLHiLL, " and TULLY, " all founded during the thir- 
teenth century, probably ; but nothing further is known 
concerning them, with exception of Killhill, which was 
endowed by Maurice FitzGerald. 

There was a preceptory for Knights Templar at 
KiLBARRY, *• county Water ford, which seems to have been 
of considerable importance, judging from the fragment 
of its history that has come down to us. It was built in 

' Alemand, p. 126. »-" Walsh, pp. 602, 482, 488, 491. 

'« Archdall, p. 689—" Ware's Bishops" (Harris), p. 531. iVb/^.— The 
names of places throughout are written, for the mosiC part, as given by 
Walsh, ** History of the Irish Hierarchy,'' etc. (New York, A.D. 1855). 



96 a£second thebaid. 

the course of thejtwelfth century ; a few ruins still 
remain affording, however, but a poor idea of the gran- 
deur of the original church and monastery. Eventually, it 
passed into the hands of the Knights Hospitaller, one of 
whom — ^Stephen de Fulburn — ^was consecrated Bishop 
of Waterford in the year 1273. This prelate became 
Treasurer of Ireland later on, and afterwards Lord 
Chief Justice, when he introduced certain changes in 
the coinage then current in the kingdom. Finally, he 
was translated to the archbishopric of Tuam (A.D. 1286), 
which he governed for only two years, dying in Dublin, 
A.D. 1288. His successor in the bishopric of Waterford 
was his brother Walter, a Franciscan Friar : the first 
of his Order in Ireland to be raised to that See. William 
de Fynchin, who, from the year 1327, was superior of 
Kilbarry for a lengthy period, is spoken of as a most 
highly esteemed member of that community. One of 
his successors was Richard Walsh — slain in battle, 
together with the Mayor of Waterford, by the O'Driscolls 
in the year 1368. The preceptory of KnxURE, " also in 
the county Waterford, probably dated from about the 
same epoch ; it was granted by Queen Elizabeth to a 
man named Nicholas Aylmer, who, in acknowledgment 
of the favour, paid an annual rent to the Crown. In 
this county, too, was the preceptory of Crooke, ^ which, 
somefime during the thirteenth century, owed its origin 
to the Baron of Curraghmore ; and which, together with 
those of Kilbarry?and Killure, we find provided for by 
the Grand-master of the Hospitallers at Kilmainham, A.D. . 
1 348. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth the buildings 
and lands of Crooke were rented by a certain Antony 
Power ; and in the time of Charles I. (1638), they were 
granted to Sir Peter Alyard. This monastery was used 
for some time as a stronghold by the Baron of Curragh- 

"Walsh, p.683. 
" Ibidem, p. 681. This writer does not famish references ; bat he 
relies, to a considerable extent, upon the aathority of ArchdalL 



THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLER OF ST. JOHN. 97 

more^ from whom the Knights of St. John received it, 
remaining in possession until the sixteenth century. Two 
other commanderies were established in the county 
Waterford at Killunkart" and Rhincrew/^ the latter 
being granted to Sir Walter Raleigh at the Suppression. 

The preceptory of MOURNE/® county Cork, was endowed 
by Alexander de Sancta Helena during the reign of King 
John. An area of many acres was enclosed by the walls 
of this foundation ; strong castles defending it at different 
points, one having been built by John FitzRichard while 
in charge there, and at the instance of the Grand Master 
of the Order from Kilmainham. Extensive ruins of this 
preceptory, including the church, still remain ; dose by 
stands the tower of an ancient castle erected by the 
Barretts, once lords of that territory. The buildings and 
lands were all given to Cormac MacTeige MacCarthy at 
the dissolution of the Irish monasteries. In the year 
1 57 1, a great battle was fought between a member of 
the same family — Cormac Oge MacCarthy — and James, 
Earl of Ormonde, in which the latter met with a very 
signal defeat, losing over a thousand men, while two of 
his own brothers were among the prisoners. Mourne 
was formerly a corporate and walled town ; but it was 
totally destroyed during the reign of King Edward IV. 
by Murrough O'Brien, then at war with the English. 

In the county Tipperary, the ICnights Templar had a 
preceptory at Clonaul, ^® established sometime in the 
thirteenth century. Giles de Rous — who succeeded 
William de Hereford — was for many years superior there. 
The preceptory of Temple-House,^® on the river Owen- 
more, Co. Sligo, dated from the reign of King Henry 
the Third. That of Killarge, " in the county Carlow, 
owed ite origin to Gilbert de Borard in the time of King 
John, and was dedicated to Our Lord's holy Precursor ; 
in the same county there was another preceptory at 

M " ArchdaU, pp. 689-698. " Ibidem, p. 75. Lewis, voL u., p. 397. 



98 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Ballymoon, 22 founded about the year 1300, but of 
which nothing further is known. We find, however, 
that in the year 1590 the lands and other property of 
Killarge were bestowed on Mary, wife of Gerald Aylmer, 
who had secured the good will of Queen Elizabeth. 

Prior to the suppression of the Knights Templar at 
the Council of Vienne, the Grand Commandery of the 
Order in Ireland was at Wexford. ^ Founded by William 
Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, this monastery was dedi- 
cated to Saints John and Brigid. It appears that 
the Franciscans obtained possession of the church and 
monastic buildings on their coming to Wexford, A.D. 
1380. For the Knights Hospitaller no longer required 
the Wexford establishment, having made Kilmainham 
the headquarters of their Order in Ireland on being 
appointed to continue the various good works hitherto 
performed by the Templars. The preceptory of KlLL- 
CLOGHAN,^ county Wexford, was endowed by the O'Moore ; 
it passed into the hands of a Sir Henry Harrington in 
the time of Queen Elizabeth ; he was merely asked to 
pay a nominal yearly rent for about five hundred acres of 
" the abbey lands." Subject to Killcloghan was the 
.preceptory of Ballyhack,^^ also established in the county 
Wexford during the twelfth century. When superior of 
this house, A.D. 1375, John FitzGerald was appointed 
one of the " keepers of the peace " for the same county. 

Of the other foundations of this Order in Ireland — 
the very names of several, undoubtedly, being now 
lost — mention may be made of the preceptory which 
Hugh de Lacy built at Castlebuoy,^* or St. Johnstown 
in the year 11 89. It was situated in one of the most 
fertile vales of the barony of Ardes, county Down, a few 
miles north-east of Portaferry. Dependent on Kilmain- 
ham, we are told that this house was still in a very 

!•-» Walsh, pp, 665, 656, 366. 
**"* Ibidem, pp. 712, 708. '-* « V»-alsh, pp. 701, 41 1. 



THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLER OF ST. JOHN. 99 

flourishing state at the beginning of the fifteenth century. 
The ruined remains of the lofty tower of the ancient 
church marks the site of the original foundation. Only 
passing allusion is made to the preceptory of St. John 
Baptist, which Godfrey de Mariscis endowed at Any,^ 
county Limerick, in the thirteenth century. No reliable 
information is to be had concerning a foundation of the 
same Order " beyond the East Gate of the city of Gal- 
way " ;^ it is quite certain, however, that the preceptory 
of KINALEKIN, » in the county Galway, dated from the 
thirteenth century, having the O'Flaherty, Dynast of lar- 
Connaught, as its founder and being under the invocation 
of St. John the Baptist. A religious known as "the 
Knight John " was prior of this monastery in the year 
1 310 ; his two immediate successors bore the same name. 
One of the latter had been unlawfully deprived of some 
landed property ; but it was eventually restored to the 
preceptory. 

We find frequent reference to the services rendered to 
the Irish Church by the Knights Hospitaller of St. John. 
And, indeed, their predecessors, the Templars, were 
equally. zealous in the object of their holy vocation for 
many a generation after their first coming to Ireland- 
substituting works of charity among the poor for those 
deeds of Christian valour which had made their name 
so famous in far Eastern lands.** 

" Alemand, p. 128. » " Walsh, pp. 458, 466. 

^ NOTB. — Passing reference is also made to the following foundations 
said to have been in charge of the Templars, or of their successors, the 
Knights Hospitaller : that of St. Sepulchrs in the city of Dublin ; the pre- 
ceptory of Beamore, county Meath ; that of Dundrum, county Down ; that 
of Ballivony, county Waterford ; a preceptory in Cork city ; and two other 
foundations in the county Limerick, one at Carigogonill and one at Kill- 
TRBL. With regard to the ancient institutions in the citv of Dublin alluded 
to as the " Hospital of St. Stephen," •* Styne Hospital/* and "Allen's Hos- 
pital " — the two first dating from as early as the thirteenth century, pro- 
bably, the latter from the year 1504 — there is no evidence to associate tnem 
with the Knights Hospitaller ; but, whatever the history of these establish- 
ments, they were certainly founded in the cause of Christian charity. — 
Walsh, pp. 390-6S0. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE ORDER OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. 

It was the thought of the hardships endured by Christian 
captives in the power of the infidels that inspired two 
holy men — ^St. John of Matha, a native of Provence, 
and the zealous hermit, Felix of Valois — ^to institute this 
Order in honour of the Blessed Trinity. Their followers 
were bound to devote their lives to the grand purpose of 
succouring the victims of Mahomedan oppression. Pope 
Innocent III. (a.D. 1198) gave his sanction and blessing 
to the enterprise, approving the Rule of life adopted by 
the pious founders, which was merely a modification of 
that drawn from the writings of St. Augustine, with 
such special statutes as the vocation of the Trinitarians 
called forth. Cerfroy, in France, was the cradle of the 
new Order .^ The habit consisted of a white soutane and 
scapulary, a red and blue cross being borne on the right 
breast ; so that these religious were also called " Red 
Friars " and (here in Ireland especially) " Crouched Friars" 
or ** Cross-Bearers." They were, likewise, known as the 
** Maturin Fathers"; probably because the most important 
house of the Order was near the church of St. Maturin 
in Paris. Certain authors,^ however, would have /us 
understand that the Irish Cross-Bearers were quite 
distinct from the Trinitarians, who, according to these 
writers, had but one monastery — ^that of Adare — ^in 
Ireland. But the Annalists generally do not favour 
this opinion. St. John de Matha died in the year 1213 ; 

^Histcire du Clergi^ VoL I, pp. 306-311. ' Alemand, pp. 137-145. 



THE ORDER OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. lOI 

and to his ardent zeal may be attributed the redemption 
of over thirty thousand captives which his disciples are 
said to have effected in the course of time. The scope 
of the Trinitarian's vocation extended, moreover, to the 
service of helping the poor and afflicted : in this respect 
chiefly the Cross-Bearers exercised their holy calling in 
Ireland. 

Even before the death of their saintly founder we find 
them established in the city of DUBLIN,' Ailred de Palmer 
having opened an hospital for them here, placing it under 
the protection of St. John Baptist, and becoming prior of 
the same himself eventually.. This was towards the end of 
the twelfth century, when John Comyn governed the 
Archdiocese of Dublin, the first Englishman appointed to 
that See. He seems to have taken a deep interest in the 
new Order ; while his successor (A.D. 1216) became still 
more intimately connected with the Trinitarians of St. 
John's. In the following century one of the priors of this 
monastery held the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland. 
From the beginning, as many as a hundred and fifty of 
the poor and infirm were cared for by the Cross-Bearers 
of Dublin, the Hospital being in a most flourishing con- 
dition during the reign of King Edward the Third. But 
this great work of charity ceased after the priory, with 
all its possessions, had been granted to Maurice, Earl of 
Thomond, in the time of king Henry the Eighth. 

It may here be said that that monarch had a special 
motive for his hatred of the Trinitarians of Dublin. A 
Chapter of the Irish Province had been convened in the 
monastery of St. John on the King's infamous policy 
becoming known to the Fathers. And it was there 
decided what steps should be taken by the religious in 
the cause of Truth. Superiors and subjects were alike 
resolved to reject the shocking proposals made to them 
by the agents of the royal heresiarch ; well aware that 
* Archdall, p. 199-205. Alemand, p. 138. 



102 A SECOND THEBAID. 

in doing so they forfeited their lives, like many of their 
brethren in other parts of the country ; but they had 
absolute confidence in the protection of the Most Holy 
Trinity. They now drew up a formulary of Catholic 
doctrine of which each made profession ; and actually 
had copies of this document posted throughout the city, 
together with an urgent appeal to the Faithful — imploring 
them to persevere fearlessly to the end (no matter at 
what sacrifice) in their loyalty to the Church.* Hastening 
from place to place, the Provindal himself and Father 
Theobald, the ex-Provincial, warned the people against 
the certain perils to be incurred by 3nelding to the King's 
menaces. So enraged were the royal agents at this 
heroic conduct that they instantly slew Father Theobald ; 
and then seizing the Provincial dragged him before an 
unscrupulous judge, who at once condemned him to a 
cruel death. A raid was then made on the Trinitarian 
monastery — said to have occupied the site in Thomas 
Street upon which the Augustinian church now stands 
— ^and the other members of the Dublin community, 
without exception, also died for the Faith during the 
month of February in the year 1539.* 

Some time in the reign of King Richard the First, a 
priory and hospital were endowed for the same Order at 
Kells,* county Meath, by Walter de Lacy, and dedicated 
to St. John. The founder secured a Charter for the 
people of Kells, granting them privileges similar to those 
enjoyed by the inhabitants of Bristol ; a favour con- 
firmed by King Richard H., A.D. 1388. But from the 
time of the Suppression, Kells began to lose its importance 
as a borough town of Meath. A cemetery is still pointed 
out there as the probable site of the Trinitarian monas- 
tery.^ The priory of Dundalk,® county Louth, dated 
from about the same period. It was built by ** a noble 

* " Our Martyrs," p. 85. » Ibidem, p. 86. • Walsh, p: 601. 

' Lewis, vol. ii., p. 36. * Walsh, p. 546. 




< 

O 



THE ORDER OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. IO3 

citizen " named Bertram de Verdon, who placed it under 
the protection of St. Leonard. A primate of Armagh, 
Patrick O'Scanlin, died there in the year 1270, but his 
remains were interred in the Dominican friary at 
Drogheda. Great numbers of the poor and suffering 
found relief in the hospital of the Trinitarians of Dundalk ; 
especially when the town was occupied by Robert Bruce, 
between whose followers and the English many a battle 
was fought close to the walls of this monastery. But 
now not even the ruins of that once most important 
institution remains, the lands and buildings having been 
granted to a man named Henry Drayton by Queen 
Elizabeth. 

Like most of the Trinitarian foundations of the Irish 
Province, that of DOWN,^ was dedicated to St. John 
Baptist. Sir John de Courcy was its principal benefactor, 
and it was called " the priory of the English " to distin- 
guish it from the monastery which the Canons Regular 
had in the same place — ^usually alluded to as " the priory 
of the Irish." The house which the Cross-Bearers had 
at Kilkenny-West,i<> county Westmeath, also dated from 
the twelfth century, having the Baptist as its Patron. 
Although its origin is traced to the Tyrell family, a 
certain priest named Thomas, the grandson of Sir Thomas 
Dillon, is occasionally mentioned as its founder ; it was 
granted to Robert Dillon at the Suppression. Not far 
from this monastery there seems to have been an hospital 
subject to the grand priory of Kilmainham (A.D. 1335). 

According to Ware, the Trinitarians had three foun- 
dations at Drogheda,*^ partly in Meath, partly in the 
county Louth. That of " St. Mary de Urso," beyond the 
West Gate, was built by Ursus de Samuel, probably in 
the year 1206, as a place of refuge for the poor and 
suffering ; the Superior was called ** guardian " not prior, 

• WaUh, p. 697. " Aichdall, p. 720. 

^ " Antiquities/' p. 90. 



104 A SECOND THEBAID. 

the more usual title. The priory of St. Laurence was 
founded by the Mayor and citizens for the same charitable 
purpose ; and the priory of St. John Baptist was endowed 
by Walter de Lacy during the reign of King John, 
Another priory, dedicated to the Baptist, was situated 
at NEWrON,^* county Meath, to which the Bishops of the 
diocese proved generous benefactors from the time of its 
foundation in the thirteenth century. 

The Irish Cross-Bearers had also an important house 
of their Order at Ardee,^' county Louth. It was endowed 
by Roger de Pippard, moved to undertake this good 
work " for the health of his own soul, and for the souls 
of his wife, Alicia ; William, his father ; Joan, his mother, 
and his brothers, Gilbert and Peter (A.D. 1207)." All 
grants made to this community — ^together with the 
privilege of electing their own prior — ^were confirmed by 
Eugene MacGillevider, Archbishop of Armagh : a most 
virtuous Prelate who had been appointed to thePrimatial 
See by Papal authority in the year 1202 ; but to whose 
election King John was bitterly opposed, wishing to 
advance a favourite of his own. The Archbishop Eugene, 
however, was at length enabled to taike possession of his 
See ; and died in Rome, A.D. 121 5, whither he had been 
summoned to assist at the Lateran Council." Shortly 
before the Suppression of the Irish monasteries (a.d. 
1538), the town of Ardee was burned down by " O'Nial * 
and his followers, then struggling to redress their own 
and their country's wrongs. The property of the 
Trinitarian priory was finally handed over to an apostate, 
who had obtained favour before the English Court by his 
crime. In later times the ancient monastic church was 
converted into a place of worship for the heretics who 
had settled at Ardee. 

Like so many cities and towns throughout Europe, 

" Archdall p. 565. " Ibidem, p. 445. 

M" Ware's Bishops" (Harris), p. 62. 



THE ORDER OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. I05 

Athy,^ Co. Kildare, is said to owe its origin to the 
religious institutions founded there. And in the year 
1253, we find Richard de St. Michael, lord of Rheban, 
selecting a site on the West bank of the river Barrow for 
a monastery which he endowed for the Trinitarians, in 
honour of St. Thomas. But this community was 
frequently subjected to numerous inconveniences arising 
from the wars waged against the English settlers of Athy 
by the Irish clans — especially by the O'Kellys, who lost 
no opportimity of harassing the invaders of their patri- 
mony. The town was destroyed by fire in the year 1 308 ; 
and in 131 5 it was pillaged by the soldiers of Robert 
Bruce. In 1325 the O'Moore succeeded in wresting 
a considerable portion of that territory from the English, 
and occupied the great castle built by Lord Rheban, of 
which some massive and picturesque ruins still remain ; 
but there is no trace of the ancient monastery .^* During 
the reign of King John, Walter de Riddlesford built 
another priory and hospital for the Cross-Bearers in the 
same county at Castledermot,^^ of which town he was 
lord. A knight named Sir Henry Harrington secured 
for himself the lands attached to this foundation after 
the friars had been driven forth at the Suppression ; a 
solitary ruined tower being all that is left of the original 
monastic buildings. It seems that de Riddlesford raised 
a great fortress, also, at Castledermot ; for the O'Tooles 
were very powerful in this district, and would not suffer 
themselves to be victimized with impunity by the Anglo- 
Norman adventurers. 

Bare mention is made of a Trinitarian priory said 
to have been established at Randown,^® in the county 
Roscommon, at the express command of King John ; 
of which Philip Nangle was a very generous benefactor 
during the reign of Henry the Third. We find passing 

" Archdall, p. 308. " Lewis, vol. i., p. 91. *' Archdall, p. 310. 

!»-» Walsh, pp. 633, 390. 658. 



I06 A SECOND THEBAID. 

allusion, also, to foundations of the same Order at CORK,^* 
Cashel,^ and Galway^^ ; while the Minorite friary built 
by Sir John Devereux at Ross," county Wexford, is 
supposed to have replaced an establishment of the Cross- 
Bearers, which had existed there previously. Besides 
these, there were, probably, other houses of the Order 
in Ireland which cannot now be identified : indeed 
owing to the similarity of the duties discharged by the 
Trinitarians and the Knights Hospitaller all over the 
country, some writers have been led into the mistake 
of attributing the monasteries of the former to the 
latter religious.** But notwithstanding the frequent 
very unsatisfactory nature of the information at 
our disposal, we have ample evidence to show 
how the members of each particular Order helped 
to further by their zeal Ireland's claim to be recognised 
as " A Second Thebaid." 

Although certain authors speak of a Trinitarian 
monastery in Limerick,^ as distinct from that oi 
Adare,25 the more general opinion is that the latter 
was the only foundation made for the Order in this 
county and that, probably, the Augustinian friary of 
Holy Cross in the City of Limerick may account for 
the error of those writers. Some say that the monastery 
at Adare was the first house established for the Cross- 
Bearers in Ireland. The members of this community 
had from the beginning a wide field for the exercise 
of their charity and zeal ; seeing how the native Irish 
had not yet recovered, by any means, from the Anglo- 
Norman invasion of Munster. Raymond le Gros was leader 
in that expedition of plunder — ^a most popular Knight 
among his fellow adventurers, owing to his eagerness 
to rob and oppress the Irish.** So great was his in- 
fluence over the mercenary soldiers under his command, 

^ "Alemand, pp. 142, 138. 145. 
•• » •• Our Martyrs," p. 86. Walsh, p. 521. " Haverty, p. 219. 



THE ORDER OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. IO7 

that even Strongbow himself had often to submit 
to his dictation ; for those ruthless plunderers declared 
Openly that they would obey no leader except le Gros. 
Such devotedness was repaid on his part by affording 
them frequent opportunity of pillage in the south of 
Ireland. Meanwhile, Raymond's own personal enemies — 
growing daily more alarmed at the extent of his power — 
spared no effort to put an end, tragic if needs be, to 
what they regarded as an over-successful career. 
But he could defy them from the security of his 
position in the city of Limerick, which he had seized, 
and where he resided until the death of Strongbow 
in the year li 76, an event occasioning, as we have 
seen, quite a crisis in the affairs of the principal Invaders. 
Le Gros then hastened to Dublin, having certain in- 
terests of his own to forward there. No sooner had he 
left Limerick than Donndl O'Brien, king of Thomond, 
entered and set fire to the city lest it should ever again 
fall into the hands of those cruel foreign spoilers. Later 
on, however, Henry II. made a new grant of the kingdom 
of Limerick to another Anglo-Norman knight, named 
Philip de Braosa. But on the approach of this brave, 
if fierce warrior, towards the ancient capital of the South, 
the people themselves burned down the city — so great 
was their horror of such lawless mercenaries ; still their 
heroic valour on that occasion inspired de Braosa with 
an awe which prevented him thenceforth ever daring 
to meet the native Irish on the field of battle. Other 
adventurers were found only too eager to try every 
means to secure for themselves the rich lands of the 
South; shielding their revolting excesses under sanction 
of the royal commission which they had so easily obtained. 
Little is known of the Trinitarian monastery of Adare 
beyond the fact of its having been generously endowed 
in the year 1279 by John, Earl of Kildare ; and that 
it was eventually granted to Sir Henry Wallop, one 



I08 A SECOND THEBAID. 

of Queen Elizabeth's favourites.*^ The ruins of both 
church and friary still remain, comprising a well pre- 
served massive tower, the nave, and part of the choir, 
which the Earl of Dunraven had restored in the year 
i8i I as a place of Catholic worship ; these, and portions 
of the various monastic offices, opening off the cloister — 
all in the style of early English architecture." 

Father Robert was "Minister" of the monastery of 
Adare in the year 1539 ; and on being informed of the 
royal decree, enjoining conformity to the new religion of 
the State, he boldly declared that the King was a heretic, 
and that he himself would rather die than yield to so 
impious a command. The other members of the same 
community — there were usually forty-six religious at 
Adare — proclaimed their readiness to follow Father 
Robert's heroic example, quite willing to lay down their 
lives in the glorious cause of Truth. Hence, in order to 
be prepared against the time of their approaching certain 
doom, they first hid away the sacred vessels and orna- 
ments, well knowing the rapacity of the heretical 
soldiery ; and then they distributed whatever food and 
clothing the monastery contained among the poor of the 
neighbourhood. Hardly had these precautions been 
taken, and before the friars themselves could make good 
their escape, when the house and church were invaded by 
the armed agents of the King, It was fondly thought by 
the leaders that if Father Robert could be won over to 
the royal cause, his apostacy would hinder all opposition 
on the part of his brethren ; and g^reat rewards were held 
out to him to influence his decision. But he scornfully 
rejected such bribes, declaring that the Pope alone 
was Christ's Vicar upon earth and the only Head 
of His Church, of which King Henry VHI. had now 
ceased to be a member. Enraged by such a grand pro- 
fession of Faith, the heretics instantly slew the intrepid 

" " Stote Paper*" (Brady), pp. 56-105. » Lewis, vol. i. p. 8. 



THE ORDER OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. ICQ 

Confessor ; while the other members of the community 
were, as the chronicle relates, "some hanged in the 
market-place ; some murdered secretly ; and many died 
of the harsh treatment which they received in the prisons 
where they had been held by their persecutors." 

It is probable that the priory of Adare was the home 
of the holy Cornelius O'Neil before his elevation to the 
Episcopate, and appointment to the See of Limerick. 
This heroic Prelate's name does not occur in Ware's 
incomplete list of the Bishops of Ireland.^ We are assured 
that it was the fame of his sanctity and learning which 
had caused Henry VI 11. to be so anxious to obtain a 
favourable opinion from him on the question of that 
monarch's divorce from Queen Catherine. But nothing 
could induce the Bishop to act against his conscience ; 
he protested that the King's marriage with the 
unhappy Queen was valid and lawful, fully aware 
that he gave this just testimony at the peril of his life. 
The zealous Prelate immediately summoned a meeting of 
the members of various religious Orders, in or near 
Limerick, together with all the secular priests, to warn 
them that theyjmight be called upon now at any moment 
to shed their blood for the Faith. Indeed, he himself 
was seized while exhorting his people to be on their guard 
against the false doctrine which the King's agents were 
trying to propagate; and he was slain without pity, 
because found determined to persevere in his firm purpose 
of upholdingJtheJCatholic Truth. Many other religious 
were put to death on the same occasion — ^the 25th of June, 
A.D. 1539. About this time, also, and for a like holy 
cause, the Trinitarians of Cork, Kilkenny, Ross, Dundalk, 
Galway, and Cashel were captured and condemned ; such 
being the number then put to death that the Annalists 
sadly record the fact of the absolute disappearance of 
the Irish Cross-Bearers during that eventful period.*'* 
•Ware's Biihops (Harris), p. 523. » •* Our Martyrs/' pp. 83-89. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE BENEDICTINES. 

The Founder of this great Order is the recognised 
Patriarch of the Religious life in the West, although 
Monasticism in its strictest sense was, as we have seen, 
known and fervently practised in Ireland nearly two 
centuries before the time of Saint Benedict. Subiaco 
was the first retreat chosen by the Saint, and there he 
began the great work which he had been inspired to 
undertake; but circumstances arose which caused him 
to change to Monte Cassino in the year 529. He drew 
up a I^ule of life for his disciples which was a very marvel 
of wisdom, adapted to the exigencies of all classes and of 
ever)' age, so that no one might be denied admission to 
the Order if called to embrace the monastic state. Even 
children were to be received, should their parents or 
guardians present them to the Abbot to be trained as the 
Rule prescribed, precise instructions being laid down 
therein to direct each monk, young or old, how to apply 
himself daily to the duty of study, manual labour, and 
prayer. And not alone did those who had adopted this 
mode of life succeed in sanctifying themselves — ^they 
helped, moreover, to forward in a marvellous way the 
loftiest ideals of civilization, which can make no real 
progress except under the influences exercised by Religion. 
For it is well known that whatever is best in modern Art 
and Science can be traced back to the time when the 
monasteries of the various Orders were the only schools.^ 

' " The Monks of the West," vol. iL, book iv., pp. 39-68. 



THE BENEDICTINES. Ill 

As for the glory which the spiritual sons of St. Benedict 
have achieved in the Church, we need merely say that 
early in the fourteenth century there had already been 
as many as twenty-four Benedictine Popes, two hundred 
Cardinals, seven thousand Archbishops, fifteen thou- 
sand Bishops, and still a far greater number of 
Benedictine Saints. Relaxation of monastic discipline 
was to be expected in the Order in the course of the ages ; 
but, invariably, a revival of primitive fervour followed : 
perhaps in the establishment of a new Congregation, 
such as that of Ssunt Maur (a.D. i6i8), which has proved 
but an added glory to St. Benedict's zeal, placing the 
world under a lasting debt of gratitude by reason of the 
stupendous labours of its members in every branch of 
learning. Seeing what share the Benedictines, with St. 
Austin as their leader, had in the conversion of England, 
we are prepared to find the Order flourishing in that 
country at a very early date (a,d. 596). No less than 
one hundred and eighty-six Benedictine abbeys, priories, 
and nunneries, with, probably, a hundred other depen- 
dent establishments were plundered at the suppression 
of the English monasteries.^ 

The first mention of the Benedictines in Ireland is a 
reference to their introduction into the ancient abbey 
of DOWNPATRICK,® county Down, to replace the Secular 
Canons who had hitherto been in charge (A.D. 11 83). Sir 
John de Courcy was the principal benefactor of this 
community, sent over fiom the monastery of the Order 
at Chester. The prior enjoyed the privilege of sitting in 
Parliament as a Baron. Two years after the coming of 
these monks— A.D. 11 85— the bodies of St. Patrick, St. 
Columba, and St. Brigid were discovered in the church 
of Down abbey at the prayer of the holy Bishop Malachy, 

^ '* Histoire du CUrgi;* yoX, ii, p. 164, j^. **A Catholic Dictionary," 
p. 75. 
' Aichdall, pp. II4'II7- 



112 A SECOND THEBAID. 

the third distinguished Irish prelate of that name. The 
solemn translation of the sacred Relics took place the 
following year, Pope Urban III. sending a special legate, 
Cardinal Vivian, to assist at this sacred function. Part 
of the abbey was destroyed by an earthquake in 
1 24s ; and the community there suffered much in the year 
1 3 16 at the hands of the Scotch troops under Edward 
Bruce ; but the damage done to the buildings on both these 
occasions was speedily repaired. We are told that the 
superiors of the different monastic institutions in this 
district strenuously resisted the action of Henry VIII. at 
the time of the Suppression. I-ord Grey had been sent 
by the King to enforce the royal decrees ; and one of his 
infamous deeds was to deface the tombs of the three 
Patron Saints in the Benedictine abbey of Down, a 
sacrilege cited against him three years later in the 
very impeachment that led to his own execution. Gerald, 
eleventh Earl of Kildare, received a grant of Down abbey, 
A.D. 1539. 

The Sir John de Courcy here alluded to was one of 
the chief assistants appointed by Henry II. to support 
William FitzAdelm in his office as Viceroy of Ireland after 
the death of Strongbow. He was a man of great strength 
and daring, besides being one of the most enterprising 
of the Anglo-Norman adventurers, and was determined 
to provide well for himself out of the lands which his 
royal master had so unjustly seized throughout Ireland. 
De Courcy, accordingly, claimed the entire of Ulster as 
his share of the plunder; and, notwithstanding the 
Viceroy's protest, marched on Down at the head of a 
band of fierce mercenary followers upon whose devoted- 
ness he could rely. Cardinal Vivian happened to be 
there at the time. No sooner did the Legate witness the 
atrocities perpetrated by the English under De Courcy 
than he urged the Irish prince Dunlevy to resist those 
ferocious invaders by every means in his power. A gallant 



THE BENEDICTINES. II3 

attempt was made in response to that call ; but, at first, 
the efforts of the Irish were all in vain. Later on, however, 
(a.D. II 7 8) De Courcy met with some serioiis reverses ; 
and before the close of his eventful career, we find him 
imploring the aid of the native chieftains against his own 
countrymen who were bent upon his ruin — ^A.D. 1204. 
In the meantime he had endowed several monasteries in 
the north of Ireland, hoping thus to expiate in some 
measure for his many crimes of sacrilegious plunder : his 
generosity towards the monks of Downpatrick being 
most frequently quoted in evidence of his remorse. Quite 
a number of these religious were called in the course of 
time to govern the diocese of Down.* 

The Benedictine monastery of Ardes* in the same 
county — ^known as the * Black Abbey of St. Andrew," 
the site of which lies about two miles north of the village 
of Ballyhalbert, on the road from Portaferry to Donagh- 
adee — ^is said to have owed its origin to Sir John de 
Courcy (A.D. 11 80). Eventually (a.d. 12 18), Hugh de 
Lacy made this house subject to the priory of St. Mary 
at Lomlay in Normandy. Although Down Abbey is 
usually alluded to as the first of the Irish foundations, 
still we are told that a king of Ulster, named Magnell 
Makenlefe, built an abbey for the Benedictines at 
Erynach-Carrig,* county Down, as early as the year 
1 1 26, undertaking this work of piety in honour of Our 
Blessed Lady. Evodius, the first abbot, is said to have 
predicted the destruction of this monastery, an event 
which was sadly verified after De Courcy had invaded 
Ulster. But, in atonement for that deed, the Knight 
afterwards endowed an abbey for Cistercians at Inis- 
courcy, handing over to the community there what 
remained of the monastic property of ErynachOurig. 
Having already bestowed the greater part of the largest 

* Ware's Bishops (Harris), p. 196 s^, 
•Ware's " Antiquities/' p. 93. • Archdall, p. laa 

I 



114 A SECOND THEBAID. 

of the islands off the coast of Down on the monastery 
of St. Mary, at York, and equally on that of St. Bega 
at Coupland, De Courcy brought over monks from 
both these abbeys to form a community for the priory 
which he foimded for the Benedictines at Neddrum,^ in 
the year 1183. But this monastery had ceased to exist 
even before the time of the general Suppression. It is 
interesting to note that a Franciscan Bishop, named 
Edmund de Courcy, governed the diocese of Qogher 
towards the end of the fifteenth century ; and that he 
was succeeded by Nehemy Clonin, a Benedictine, who 
resigned, A.D. 1503. Various other Sees in the North 
of Ireland, besides that of Down, were committed to the 
charge of the zealous sons of St. Benedict.* 

In the county Tipperary, there was a Benedictine 
abbey at KiLCOMiN,* built by Philip de Worcester, 
chief governor of Ireland about the year 1184, and 
dedicated to Saints Philip, James and Comin, The 
first community was supplied by the abbey of 
Glastonbury in Somersetshire, upon which, accordingly, 
Kilcomin became dependent. In 1185, John, Earl 
of Morton, is said to have established the Benedictine 
priory of St. John the Evangelist in the city of 
Waterford,^® which, although richly endowed, remained 
subject to the abbey of Saints Peter and Paul in Bath, 
whence, probably, its first community came. The 
priory of St. John the Baptist, near the city of CORK,^^ 
was dependent on the same abbey ; and in this instance, 
also, the founder mentioned is King John. A special 
charter was granted to the priory of Waterford by 
Edward II., in the year 1315. The prior of this house 
in 1227 was made Bishop of Waterford. We find a 
most interesting account of the last will of an English 
Benedictine, named John, who had been appointed to 

' Walih, p. 417. • " Ware's Bishops," p. 186, sf. 

• 10 Walsh, pp. 669, 687. " Alemand, p. 148. 



THE BENEDICTINES. II5 

the diocese of Ardfert in the year 121 5, but whose death 
occurred in 1 245 in the monastery of St. Alban's, to which 
he bequeathed a number of valuable books, together 
with a white and purple stole embroidered in silver 
and containing many precious relics, — said to have 
possessed wondrous efficacy in restoring the insane. 
He also left to the same community three rings holding 
sapphires of extraordinary size, one of which was reputed 
to have had miraculous power because of the most sacred 
relic inlaid.^* There were many distinguished Irish 
Benedictines of the same epoch to whom, however, 
rare allusion is made : labouring solely to perpetuate 
the traditions of their glorious Order here in Ireland, 
they shrank from everything likely to win them mere 
human praise. 

In the year 1209, the ancient abbey of St. Fechin at 
FORE,^* county Westmeath, was restored for the monks 
of St. Benedict by Walter de Lacy, a community being 
furnished for the same by the monastery of St. Taurin, 
at Evreux, in Normandy. After war had broken out 
between England and France, this priory, together with 
several other houses of the Irish Benedictines, wa3 
seized by the English king as " alien property " ^A.D. 
1369). But the religious were at length allowed to 
follow their holy vocation there in peace once more. 
There was another Benedictine priory at a place called 
Glasscarrig" on the Wexford coast, about six miles 
south-east of Gorey. It was built sometime during 
the fourteenth century. Griffin Condon and David 
Roche being among its principal benefactors. The 
members of the first community came from the abbey 
of St. Dogmael in Pembrokeshire ; and the abbot of that 
monastery was allowed the right of sending one of his 

'« '* Ware's Bishops," p. 519. ^» Archdall, p. 713. 

^* Alemand, p. 147. Inchmean and Inchmore, in the county Rosoom- 
mon, are said to have been the sites of Benedictine monasteries. — Walsh, 
p. 63a 



Il6 A SECOND THEBAID. 

own subjects to succeed as superior on the death of 
the prior of Glasscarrig. 

What some annalists say concerning certain other 
foundations attributed to the Irish Benedictines is 
not based on sufficiently reliable authority. But 
special mention is made of four convents of Bene- 
dictine nuns established in Ireland before the time of 
the Suppression. That of Kilcreunata,^* in the county 
Galway^ seems to have been the most important, and 
had for its founder Cathal O'Connor, King of Connaught 
gA.D., 1200) : several abbesses of this " Nunnery of the 
Chaste Wood " bore the same royal name. The convents 
of iNCaaiEAN,^* county Mayo, and that of Ardcarn,^^ 
county Roscommon, were subject to Kilcreunata. A 
Benedictine convent, dedicated to St. John Baptist, 
was founded in CORK," in the year 1327, by the members 
of the De Barry family. In later times (a.d. 1689), 
two nunneries of the Order were established in 
Dublin,^* King James II. being then present in the 
city ; and the hopes of the Irish Catholics having 
revived for a while after the terrible trials of so many 
years .... 

There are certain matters of very great interest in 
connection with the history of Monasticism in Ireland 
to which we had not a favourable opportunity of 
alluding in the foregoing pages, but which we may touch 
upon briefly in this place : such as the difference between 
the various houses of each religious Order ; the duties 
of the monastic officials ; and the general design of 
the claustral buildings and adjoining church — ^with, 
perhaps, a passing reference to the everyday life of those 
whose holy vocation it was to sanctify themselves within 
these sacred precincts by prayer, study, and manual 
labour. As a matter of fact, the particular monastery 
was designated after the title of the local superior. Thus, 
»-» Walsh, pp. 707. 464. 390. '• Burke, p. 741. 



THE BENEDICTINES. 117 

an "abbey" was— strictly speaking — so called because 
the abbot ruled there in person; although here in Ireland, 
as has already been remarked^ the custom arose of 
applying this name to monastic institutions indis- 
criminately ; and, in speaking of the ruins of our ancient 
monasteries, the same usage prevails to a great extent 
even at the present day. The importance of an abbey 
was relative to the jurisdiction of its abbot ; for a priory 
might be of higher rank in the particular Order, should 
the prior's authority happen to be greater than the 
abbatial power. When, however, the prior was absolutely 
subject to an abbot, the monastery under his charge 
became known as a * cell " — a name originally applied 
to a hermit's hut; but afterwards used to denote 
a religious establishment dependent on one of the 
greater abbe)^ ; while the humble abode of a pious person 
anxious to lead a life of strictest solitude was still called 
a "hermitage." A " preceptory " was the home of a 
community of Knights Templar governed by a superior 
immediately subject to the Grand Master of the Order ; 
a " commandery " had the same standing among the 
Knights Hospitaller. No matter to which of the monastic 
Orders it belonged, a foundation was known as an 
"hospital,* if primarily intended for the relief of the 
poor, infirm, or afflicted. A "chantry* was merely 
a particular chapel, or altar specially endowed, 
so that Mass might be celebrated there daily for the 
spiritual and temporal welfare of benefactors and friends. 
The homes of the members of the four Mendicant Orders — 
the Augustinians, the Franciscans, the Dominicans, and 
the Carmelites — ^were called "friaries"; and although 
rarely endowed in the precise meaning of the word, 
often excelled the abbeys proper in the magnificence 
of their architecture. They were usually classified 
as • priories," " vicariates,* " colleges * or " novitiates "— 
according to the office of the superior in charge; or 



1X8 A SECOND THEBAID. 

owing to the purpose for which the monastery had 
been founded.^ 

As for the manifold duties of the various monastic 
officials^ they were discharged in all Irish monasteries ; 
but the religious appointed to attend to them 
may not have borne the same titles in the different 
Orders : just as at the present day similar offices 
are performed in every community by those deemed 
best qualified in the judgment of superiors to further 
the diverse objects which those ancient names 
imply. The " Almoner " (eleemosynarius) had particular 
care of the poor, distributing among them, at the 
superior's discretion, such donations as benefactors 
of the monastery desired to be dispensed in charity. 
Another official, called the " Pitantiarius," was intrusted 
with certain sums of money which might be spent either 
for the benefit of the poor or of the community, but on 
special occasions only. The "Master of the Fabric* 
{magister operis)^ was required to have the buildings 
kept in good repair. Far more numerous and im- 
portant were the duties of the " Sacristan," than those 
usually attributed to the holder of this office. Not merely 
had he charge of the sacred vessels, vestments and orna- 
ments pertaining to the church; he was obliged, 
moreover, to account for the offerings made for Masses 
at the different altars, and for the donations which 
were to be applied for the purposes of his office alone. 
The Sacristan also provided the bread and wine required 
in the Holy Sacrifice ; and it was his duty to arrange 
for the burial of the dead. Everything necessary for 
the dormitory, or sleeping apartments — such as beds 
and bed-clothing — ^was supplied by the " Chamberlain " 
{earner arius), who, likewise, furnished the religious 
with the complete monastic habit, "and with razors 
and towels." Some writers think that the Chamberlain 

* " NfOiHa Monastica " (Tanner), pp. zxiii.-xxviii. Archdall, p. xjd. 



THE BENEDICTINES. IIQ 

had also charge of the "treasury." The "Cellarer" 
(cellerarius) was responsible for the provisions to be 
used both by the community and by the guests visiting 
the monastery : under his control were all kinds of 
flesh, fish, fowl, wine, bread, com, malt — for ale and 
beer — salt and oatmeal ; he had to provide wood for 
firing ; and all the kitchen utensils. In charge 
of the " Bursar " (Jhesaurarius) — as distinct from the 
Chamberlain — ^were the funds of the monastery ; he 
received the customary revenues, and met the various 
expenses. It was the duty of the " Chanter " or 
" Precentor " to look after the choir, furnishing books 
and salaries for those who sang or played there, and 
were not members of the community. He had, also, 
to keep the organ in repair ; to guard the seal of the 
monastery, and the Liber Diurnalis, or " minute-book " ; 
and to supply the* ink, colours and parchment for the 
scriptorium : a monastic apartment deemed of the 
utmost importance ; for there were transcribed the books 
to be used and preserved in the library — such as copies of 
the Holy Scriptures, of the writings of the great Doctors 
of the Church, of the Classics and of Histories — by which 
means the most valuable works of antiquity escaped the 
ravages of the ages. Here, too, the monastic annalists 
recorded contemporary events, thus preparing for the 
future historian a reliable source of information concerning 
matters of moment and interest in those remote times. 

Visitors to the monastery were received and waited 
upon by the ** Guest-Master " (Jiospitilarius), who saw 
that they had " firing, napkins, towels," and everything 
else needful for their comfort. When ill, or feeble, 
the religious were placed under the care of the " In- 
firmarian," who had at his disposal medicine and all 
that was requisite for so important a charge : it was 
his duty, moreover, to prepare the dead for burial. 
The " Refectorian " looked after the dining-hall, and 



I20 A SECOND THEBAID. 

its furniture ; and he took care of the silver not in- 
tended for use in the church or sacristy. Besides these 
officials, frequent mention is made of the " Kitchener " 
{coquinarius) ; the *' Gardener " {gardinarius ?) ; and the 
" Janitor " {portarius) ; but most probably all these offices 
implied charges of far greater trust than what the 
names would lead us to infer : for instance, we read 
of the Portarius of a certain monastery who was after- 
wards elected abbot in the same place.'^ 

These various offices will assist us in forming an 
idea of the everyday life in one of our ancient Irish 
monasteries ; the very ruins of the sacred edifices further 
aiding us to realize how time was employed there by 
those who had devoted their lives to penance and labour 
and prayer. All those abbeys and friaries were invariably 
designed to meet the requirements of the religious 
vocation ; so that the structural arrangement was most 
convenient for the discharge of duties insuring constant 
progress in the spiritual way, not alone by the exercises of 
Religion, but by study and even manual toil. Hence, the 
church and the choir ; the chapter-room, the cloister and 
the cells were the places where the monks and friars 
mostly passed their time. In some Orders, the members 
of the community worked separately in their " cells," or 
sleeping apartments ; while in others, each religious 
had his appointed place for study in the cloister, which 
was a kind of wide corridor on three sides of the square 
formed by the church and monastic buildings. This 
corridor was lighted from without by finely glazed 
windows, reaching, in most instances, to the ground* 
In the recess of each window there was a seat— often 
elaborately carved like the beautifully finished wains- 
cotting — ^with a desk to support books or the materials 
for writing.** Silence was rigorously observed here; 

** " Notitia Monastica*^ (Tanner), pp. xxix-zxxii. 
•Compare " Scoti-Monasticon " (Walcott), pp. xv. 237, sg^. 



THE BENEDICTINES. 121 

however, this was anything but a mortification to those 
engaged in the most absorbing studies : whether pre- 
paring learned treatises on Theology, Sacred Scripture, 
and the Sciences ; or employed in historical research ; 
or devoted to the interpretation of those ancient Irish 
legends containing, beneath the fascinating allegories 
of our pagan poet-annalists, so much information relative 
to the nation's past— a treasure yielded only to patient 
study and prudent, loving care. Although the fruits 
of such unremitting labours perished, to a woeful extent, 
in the wholesale destruction of Irish monastic archives 
in the sixteenth century ; still the pupils of the monks 
and friars had already acquired a practical knowledge 
of those traditions of an heroic age ; and from genera- 
tion to generation this knowledge bore further fruit in 
many an ancient Irish family, whose members would 
emulate their ancestors' famous deeds by their own fer- 
vent love of honour, justice and truth. 

Close by the cloister was the community-room where 
the religious assembled at stated times — once or twice 
a day — for recreation. This department usually opened 
into a spacious garden, in which the novices and younger 
members of the community might, at the discretion 
of the superior, engage in innocent amusements so 
long as these did not offend against severe monastic 
decorum in any way. The chapter-house, or chapter-room, 
was also within easy reach of the cloister : here were 
held all important meetings of the community for the 
discussion of the interests, spiritual and temporal, of 
the monastery; here, too, favilts were corrected, the 
superior exhorting his subjects to still more fervent 
efforts in the practice of the Regvilar Life. Of course 
each Order followed its own methods in the distribution 
of time ; yet the recital of the Divine Office pre-supposed 
a certain similarity in the different Hot aria — especially as 
in many instances the monks and friars rose at midnight. 



122 A SECOND THEBAID. 

or in the early morning, to attend to the solemn duties 
of the choir.^ 

Thus admirably suited for the purposes of community 
life, the Irish monasteries were, as a rule, buildings 
of an austere type of architecture ; but the adjoining 
churches were often truly superb. We here allude to 
the sacred edifices erected by the monks and friars from 
the period of the revival of Monasticism in Ireland The 
Gothic style prevailed in these churches, the remains 
of whi<5i are easily distinguished from those ruined 
** temples of prayer " dating from the middle of the ninth 
to the middle of the twelfth century — ^with the elabor- 
ately arched door-ways and windows characteristic 
of the style known as " Irish Romanesque ; " and in still 
more striking contrast with the interesting relics of 
our primitive sanctuaries, showing no trace of an arch 
over the narrow door, or the one small window : built 
without either mortar or cement, and constructed, 
so far as we can tell, sometime during the first three 
centuries of the existence of the Irish Church. 

The interior of the mediaeval sacred edifices was, 
almost invariably, to be found furnished in keeping 
with the outward simple grandeur of each stately pile. 
In the woodwork, drapery, sacred vessels, ornaments 
and vestments was displayed the very highest form 
of ecclesiastical Art. And if here in Ireland we do not 
possess far more abtmdant proof of the monastic artist's 
skill — the goldsmith's, the jeweller's, the designer's 
and the engraver's — it is owing to the avarice and van- 
dalism of those responsible for the destruction of our 
ancient monasteries. The greater festivals were kept in 
the monastic churches with fervent solemnity, such 
as to excite the wrapt devotion of the Faithful assisting 

^ Compare ** Henry VIII. and the English Monasteries" (Gasqaet), vol. 
i., p. xvii. Also, '* The English Black Monks of St. Benedict*' (Taunton), 
Tol. i., pp. 50-96. 




ROCK AND RUINS OF CASH EL. 



(p. 140-) 



THE BENEDICTINES. 123 

at the dread mysteries of the New Law. So that the 
ruin, which is now but an object of interest to the anti- 
quarian and, perhaps, very difficult of access in some 
remote wild place, was once a beauteous edifice destined 
for the perpetual service of sacrifice and prayer ; at the 
building of which the monastic architect himself would 
joyfully toil with his brethren, raising the walls with 
loving care.** Thither came crowds of earnest wor- 
shippers from those surroundings villages and hamlets, 
at present barely existing in name. While awaiting 
the consummation of the august Mystery there, every- 
thing that met the gaze of the Faithful tended to raise 
their thoughts and affections to the hidden glory of 
Him whose House is the home of the friendless, the 
sorrow-stricken, and the poor. The carving of the 
rood-screen, and of the stalls in the choir ; the embroidery 
on the tapestry round the altars or before the portals ; 
the designs on the carpets spread over the sanctuary 
floor — on every side Christian Art illustrated the familiar 
Truths of Catholic Belief. No pains were spared by the 
monks and friars in the adorning of their churches, 
their benefactors being most generous with gifts towards 
the same end ; we are assured that often the light of 
the votive candles in the various shrines — particularly 
in that of Our Lady — ^was reflected in great splendour 
from the profusion of jewels set in ornaments of silver 
and gold.** Yet the pious people well knew — the life- 
example of the friars and monks themselves keeping 
this truth vividly before their minds — that beyond 
the mystical significance attached to those precious 
stones and metals as an evidence of man's good-will, 
they had no value at all before Him who would claim 
the priceless offering of their own pure hearts. 

•* " The Monks of the West," vol. vi., p. 223. 
* '• Scoti-Monasticon/' p. 16, sq. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE ORDER OF CITEAUX. 

The Cistercian Order, now represented in Ireland by the 
Trappist monasteries of Mount Melleray and Roscrea, is, 
in reality, an offshoot of the great Benedictine stem. St. 
Robert, himself a Benedictine, was its holy Founder ; 
but it had been his pious ambition merely to live up to 
the Rule of St. Benedict in all its primitive rigour— a 
number of minor relaxations having by that time crept 
into the Order, especially in France. As he was unable, 
in the beginning, to find a sufficient number of monks 
willing to second his efforts in the work of reform by 
accepting the more austere interpretation of their Rule, 
he established a monastery in the forest of Molesme, near 
Chatillon, A.D. 1075 ; ^^^ there, together with some 
zealous companions, he began to lead a strictly eremi- 
tical mode of life. 

However, St. Robert was not yet satisfied that their 
method of observance could be considered in perfect 
harmony with the spirit of St. Benedict ; so in the year 
1098, he withdrew to a desert place called Citeaux 
{Cistercium) some distance from Dijon, and there 
founded another monastery for those who should desire 
to follow the Benedictine Rule in its utmost rigour, and 
who were destined to become known eventually as Cis- 
tercians. St. Robert himself was soon recalled to Molesme, 
by Papal authority, in order to take charge of that 
community ; hence it was Alberic, his successor at Citeaux, 
that framed the Cistercian Constitutions. The holy 
Stephen Harding — a monk from Sherborne abbey in 



THE ORDER OF CITEAUX. 125 

England — following afterwards, did wonders in the course 
of time for the propagation of the now practically new 
Order : his being the glory to have received the )^ung 
St, Bernard, with thirty kinsmen, into Religion at 
Citeaux (A.D. 1113); to send him, later on, to found 
the great abbey of Oairvaux, whence came the first 
colony of Cistercians to Ireland. 

In the first year of the thirteenth century, there were 
fully eighteen hundred houses of this Order in existence, 
built, for the most part, in remote valleys and desert 
places by preference ; the vocation of the monks being 
personal sanctification by penitential solitude and prayer. 
For several centuries there was no falling away from the 
primitive fervour of the Institute : not until the dis- 
turbed state of Europe necessitated dispensations among 
the Cistercians as well as in the various other religious 
Orders. But the glory of their first zeal shone out again 
at times in the different Reforms introduced ; the most 
famous being that inaugurated in the year 1660 by 
Armand Jean de Ranc6 in the ancient abbey of La Trappe 
— a bulwark against Jansenism, surviving the horrors of 
the dread Revolution in France.^ 

As already stated the Cistercians first appeared in 
Ireland at that revival of Monasticism which was due to 
the zeal of St. Malachy O'Moore. Priority of foundation 
is given to the celebrated abbey of the " Virgin Mary " in 
Dublin,* said to have been originally established for 
Benedictine monks by the Danes, after their conversion 
tp Christianity ; but there are writers who claim the 
credit of this pious work for certain Irish princes (a.d. 
948). At all events, it was owing to the personal influence 
of St. Malachy himself that this abbey passed into the 
possession of the Cistercians in the year 11 39. As St. 
Bernard's dear friend, he well knew the fervour of the 
monks of Oairvaux ; and felt sure that their presence 
^ " Histoire du Clerg^," rol. ii., pp. 242-258. ' Wftlsh, p. 421. 



126 A SECOND THEBAID. 

in Ireland would tend wonderfully towards the attain- 
ment of the great object which he had in view. St. 
Mary's was very richly endowed, and its abbot took rank 
as a spiritual peer of the Realm. However, the only 
records now extant concerning this foundation chiefly 
relate to the monastic property, and to the abbatial 
privileges, such documents being jealously preserved by 
the plunderers of the Irish monasteries as a strange 
vindication of their title to a share in the sacrilegious 
spoils. This was the first house of the Order in Ireland 
to be seized by the agents of King Henry the Eighth. 
There were fifty monks dwelling there at the time ; all 
of whom were captured and cast into prison to endure 
unspeakable tortures until at length they were led out 
to receive the martyr's crown at a place called Ballyboght, 
sometime in the year 1541.* 

The present Monkstown,* county Dublin, is said to 
derive its name from a Cistercian foundation made there ; 
concerning which, however, nothing further is known, 

Dermod O'Dempsey, Prince of Oflfaly, most generously 
endowed an abbey for Cistercians at MONASTEREVm,* 
on the river Barrow, county Kildare, A.D. 1178. Its 
abbots were also lords spiritual ; and in the year 1199 
the religious holding that office was made Bishop of 
Leighlin. This house was granted to AdamJLoftus at the 
dissolution of the Irish monasteries ; but afterwards the 
abbey lands were included in the Drogheda estate. We 
are told that a Cistercian, named Father Nicholas 
FitzGerald — 3, descendant of the Geraldines — was put to 
death for the Faith during the month of September, A.D. 
1 58 1. He is said to have been a member of the Dublin 
community, and succeeded in escaping the fate of his 
brethren for some time. When, at length, captured in a 
wood, whither he had fled from his persecutors, he was 

• " Our Martyrs," p. 90. 
* " Appendix Monastica" (De Burgo\ p. 74i. ' Walsh, p. 488. 



THE ORDER OF CITEAUX. 127 

Still wearing the habit of his Order — a sufficient evidence 
of guilt to ensure his being instantly condemned to a most 
barbarous death. As a great favour, his sorrowing parents 
were permitted to remove their martyred son's quartered 
remains, which they lovingly and reverently interred in 
the family tomb within the Brigidine church at Kildare.* 
The great abbey of Mellifont,^ county Louth, situated 
in a charming valley not very far from Drogheda, was 
founded for a community oi the Order of Citeaux in the 
year 1142 at the instance of St. Malachy O'Moore. 
Donogh O'Carrol, Prince of Oriel, was its principal 
benefactor ; the members of the first community having 
been trained by St. Bernard himself at Qairvaux : among 
them the four young Irishmen sent thither for that 
purpose by St. Malachy. But it was not until the year 
1 1 57 that the ceremony of the solemn consecration of 
the abbey church took place, Gdasius, Primate of 
Ireland, officiating on that occasion in presence of a great 
number of priests and prelates ; of the King of Ireland, and 
of many princes. The royal offering of King Murtogh 
O'Loghlin was a hundred and forty oxen, sixty ounces of 
pure gold, and a townland near Drogheda. Several 
other Irish princes bestowed equally munificent gifts on 
the monks ; and we are assured that, perhaps, the 
richest donation ever made to Mellifont was to express 
the remorse of one whose sin had been the cause of the 
nation's greatest woe : in reparation of the crime of 
Dervorghilla, the faithless wife of Tiernan O'Rourke of 
Breifny. Although founded by an Irish prince long 
before the coming of the Anglo-Normans, we find it 
recorded in the year 1380 that Parliament decreed no 
" mere Irishman " should be professed as a monk at 
Mellifont. Still the abbot of this house was himself one 
of the peers of the Realm. The community numbered 
a hundred and fifty choir-religious at the Suppression, 
• •• Our Martyrs," p. 120. '' Alemand, p. 167. 



128 A SECOND THEBAID. 

not including the lay-brothers and dependants. All the 
monastic property passed into the hands of Sir Edward 
Moore, ancestor of the Drogheda family. 

Bbctiff abbey,' on the Boyne, county Meath, was 
endowed for the Cistercians by Murchard O'Melaghlin, 
King of Meath, and dedicated to the Blessed Virign (a.d. 
1 146). Its ruins still show what a magnificent structure 
the original building must have been. The abbot sat 
as a baron in Parliament ; and, judging from the inven- 
tory made in the reign of Henry VIII., its possessions 
were very valuable. In the yesLV 1488 an abbot of Bectiff, 
James of Castlemartin, received the king's pardon for 
having favoured the cause of the Pretender, Lambert 
Simnell. The Cistercian abbey of Beaubec,* in the same 
county, was built by Walter de Lacy, lord of Meath, in 
the course of the thirteenth century, and placed under 
the protection of Our Lady and St. Laurence. It was 
assigned, by royal licence, to the monks of Furness in 
the year 1332 ; in 1348 the deed was confirmed by King 
Edward the First. On the site of the ancient monastery 
ot KlLLBEGGAN^® — ^founded in the adjoining county of 
Westmeath by St. Becan, sometime during the sixth 
century — ^another abbey was erected for the same Order, 
the Dal ton family receiving the credit of having supplied 
the funds for this meritorious undertaking (a.d. 1200). 
The first community came from Mellifont, and the 
Blessed Virgfin was the heavenly Patroness. While on a 
pilgrimage to this abbey in the year 121 3, Melaghlin 
MacCoughlan, Prince of Ddvin, died ; a few years later 
the names of several of his sons occur among the 
obituary notices of Kilbeggan. There, too, (a.d. 1236) 
died Hugh O'Malone, Bishop of Qonmacnoise, who, 
a.d. 1298, had among his successors in that See a 
distinguished abbot of this same monastery.^^ 

' Archdall, p. 516. • Ibidem. *® Ibidem, p. 717. 

" " Ware's Bishops," p. 17a. 



THE ORDER OF CITEAUX. 129 

About the year 1148, Diarmit MacMurrough 
CyCavanagh, King of Leinster, endowed an abbey for 
the Order of Citeaux at Baltinglass," county Wcklow. 
The founder himself is said to have died there in 1151. 
Probably, in this instance also, Mellifont supplied the 
members of the first community, the abbot eventually 
taking rank as a peer in Parliament. At the time of 
Lambert Simndl's pretension the superior of this house 
was implicated in the adventurer's cause. When 
John Comyn, the English Archbishop of Dublin, con- 
vened a synod in Christ Church (a.d. 1185), Albinus 
O'MuUoy, abbot of Baltinglass, and afterwards Bishop of 
Ferns, was present and spoke to such purpose against 
certain abuses and scandals existing among the English 
and Welsh clergy that he succeeded in getting those evils 
removed : not, however, until Archbishop Comyn had 
called upon the celebrated Gerald Barry to reply to the 
charges made. Even while trying hard to defend his 
countrymen, Barry felt himself bound, in honour and 
justice, to testify to the exemplary lives of the priests of 
Ireland, who excelled in all virtues : being most devoted 
to prayer and study, and opposed to all worldliness — 
their spirit of austerity being so great that most of them 
fasted until dusk every day.^* 

Donald O'Brien caused a Cistercian abbey to be erected 
at MONASTERNENAGH,^* county Limerick, A.D. 1151, 
placing it under the protection of Our Blessed Lady. 
The abbot of this house was entitled to sit as a baron in 
Parliament; and, in this instance, likewise, the first 
monks were taken from Mellifont. King John is num- 
bered among its benefactors. Subject to Monastemenagh 
was another foundation made for the Irish Cistercians, in. 
the year 1 1 88, at Abbeyfeal,i^ also in the county Limerick- 
There were several other establishments of the Order ia 

'« Walsh, p. 715. " '* Ware's Bishops," p. 439. 

»*-" Alemand, pp. 184-185. 

K 



130 A SECX)ND THEBAID. 

the same county ; but very little is known concerning 
their history. The most interesting item of information 
rdates to the abbey of Abbingdon-Wotheny,** founded by 
Theobald FitzWalter, head of the Butler family, whose 
wife, Maud, was sister of St. Thomas k Becket, the 
martyred Archbishop of Canterbury .^^ The founder's 
death occurred in 1206, some years after he had com- 
pleted this work of piety in honour of the Blessed Virgin. 
The members of this community came in the beginning 
from the abbey of Savigniac in Normandy. Although 
the abbot was himself a peer of the Realm, we 
find that the prelate governing the community in the year 
1290 had to pay a heavy fine because of his good-will 
towards ** the mere Irish " — the king's open enemies. 
Then there was St. Mary's abbey of KnxsHANE," estab- 
lished in the year 1198, and made subject to that of 
CORCUMROE," county Qare, to which it eventually became 
united. 

The Cistercian abbey of Athlone,*^ situated on the 
Roscommon side of the town, dated from the year 11 50, 
and had for its Patrons Saints Peter and Pavil. King 
John is said to have been well disposed towards this 
community ; in exchange for the site upon which he 
built the castle of Athlone, he allowed the abbey certain 
revenues, A.D. 12 16; and in the year 1279 King 
Edward I. bestowed the Shannon fisheries, and the toll 
of the Bridge of Athlone on the monks of Saints Peter 
and Paul. A very holy and learned member of this 
commimity, named Thomas Curnin, died about the year 
1455. The great Cistercian abbey of BOYLE*^ was also 
in the county Roscommon. It was endowed by 
MacDermot, Prince 'of Moylurg, and soon became one 
of the most renowned monastic institutions in Europe. 

"''Historical Collections" (Bowes: Dublin, 1758). Note.— This in- 
teresting work was compiled — by Borke — ^from the writings of Pro- 
testant historians to show tne evils restdting from the Refonnation. 

••-"Alemand, pp. i83-Z90, 



THE ORDER OF CITEAUX. 131 

The first community — ^taken from Mellifont, which may 
justiy be regarded as the Mother-house of the Order in 
Ireland — settled down in the beginning at a place called 
Grelacdinach" A.D. 1148. For their abbot they had 
the learned Peter O'Morra, afterwards Bishop of Clonfert, 
who was drowned at Port-de-Caneog on the Shannon 
(A.D. 1 171). His successor, Aodh O'Maccain, changed 
the monks to Druimconaid *» ; but the next abbot, 
Maurice O'Dubhay, removed them to BUNFINNE,^* where 
they remained a few years ; and finally the same abbot 
took them to Boyle, which he considered a more suitable 
site for the great abbey and church which he had under- 
taken to build (a.D. 1 161). This zealous abbot died in the 
year 11 74; however, it was only in 1218 that the monks 
could have their church solenmly consecrated and placed 
under the patronage of the Blessed Virgfin. In 1235, 
the English troops, commanded by Maurice FitzGerald 
and Mac William Bourke, sacked Boyle abbey ; but the 
effects of their ravages were soon repaired by the piety 
of the Irish Faithful. The abbot Dunchad O'Daly, who 
was known as the *Ovid of Ireland," died there in the 
year 1250; and in 1342, Dermot Roe MacDermot — a 
descendant of the noble founder — ^who had resigned his 
rank as Prince of Moylurg to become a monk at Boyle. 
Tumaltach, another of the MacDermot family, was abbot 
at the time of the suppression of the monastery during 
the reign of Queen Elizabeth. He was succeeded by 
Father Gelasius O'Cullenan, a member of an ancient 
Connaught family, who fearlessly demanded back the 
monastic lands and buildings from the apostate nobleman 
to whom they had been granted by the royal agents 
Strange to say not alone were his wishes complied with 
in every respect, but the Queen's favourite became so 
deeply impressed by the holy abbot's virtues, and by the 
austere life led by the members of his community, that 
a-a* Alemand, p. 191. Walsh, p. 624. 



132 A SECOND THEBAID. 

he himself actually took the religious habit among them 
after having given a most edifying proof of the sincerity of 
his conversion. The same zealous O'Cvillenan was 
arrested in Dublin during the course of the year 1580; 
and had promises of the greatest rewards held out to 
him, if he would renounce the Catholic Faith. But, like 
the Blessed Thomas More, he replied that those who 
thus tried to deceive him could give him no guarantee at 
all of his being spared even for a single moment to enjoy 
the favours which they offered. Hence, he deemed it far 
wiser to obey One Who has promised His faithful servants 
a life of eternal happiness in the world to come.** He 
was forthwith sentenced to a cruel death — ^which he met 
with wondrous courage and joy, his contemporaries 
proclaiming him : " the pride of the Cistercian Order ; the 
light of that century ; and the glory of all Ireland." 

Not far from Boyle abbey — used as a fortress at the 
time — the O'Donnell won a famous victory over the 
army of Queen Elizabeth. He had promised his followers 
beforehand, as the highest possible reward, that room 
should be found at the very Altar for each one who took 
part with him in that battle of Dunaveeragh. 

The ancient sanctuary of Shruel,^^ county Longford, 
was replaced by a Cistercian monastery, built by the 
O'Ferall, a.d. i i 50, in honour of Our Blessed Lady ; and 
made dependent on Mdlifont. At Lerrha,^ in the same 
county, the Cistercians had another abbey, also dedicated 
to the Blessed Virgfin. It, probably, occupied the site of 
the ancient monastery established there by a St. Gosachus, 
who b said to have been one of the disciples of St. Patrick. 
The monks of Citeaux were brought thither, A.D. 1 205, by 
Lord Richard Tuite from St. Mary's abbey near Dublin. 
After that nobleman had been killed, by the fall of a tower 
in the town of Athlone, his remains were interred at 

" *• Oor Martyrs," p. 1 15. " Alcmand, p. 180. 

•'Ibidem. Wabh,p. 538. 



THE ORDER OF CITEAUX. 133 

Lerrha (A.D. 121 1). This abbey suffered much in the year 
131 5 at the hands of the soldiers of Edward Bruce ; but 
it was restored in the course of time. An abbot, named 
Peter, presumably of the same house, was appointed 
Bishop of Cloyne by Pope Boniface IX. A.D. 1398. 

The next Cistercian foundation alluded to by the 
annalists — ^who appear to have followed no prescribed 
order in their important records beyond assigning the 
particular county in which the various sites were chosen 
— is the abbey of Odorney,^^ county Kerry, endowed by 
a member of the FitzMaurice family in the year 11 54, 
and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. The fact of the 
abbot of this house taking rank as a peer of the Realm shows 
that it was among the principal establishments of the 
Order in the Kingdom. Towards the close of his zealous 
career, Christian O'Conarchy, Bishop of Lismore and 
Legate Apostolic in Ireland, retired to this holy retreat, 
and died there in 11 86. 

With the cordial approval of the Kings and nobles of 
Ulster, Maurice MacLoughlin, Monarch of Ireland, 
founded an abbey for the Cistercians at Newry,** county 
Down, between the years 1140 and 1153. One of its 
first abbots, Finnian MacTiarcain, was appointed Bishop 
of Kildare, A.D. 11 60. Two years later, A.D. 1162, the 
library was destroyed by fire ; and also the " Yew Tree," 
said to have been planted by St. Patrick and from which 
Newry derives its name. Because it had been established 
for the " mere Irish," King Edward III. sequestered the 
possessions of this abbey in the year 1373, granting most 
of the land to one of his English subjects. Among the 
Cistercian Confessors of the year 1642, was the Prior of 
Newry — put to death by the halter in that town together 
with a secular priest owing to their zeal in preaching 
the true Faith. Father Luke Bergin was another monk 
of the same Order slain by the heretics in the year 1655 ; 
" Archdall, p. 305. » Ibidem, p. 126. 



134 A SECOND THEBAID. 

his companions in suffering on that occasion were Daniel 
O'Brien, Dean of Ferns, and a priest named James 
Murchu. The remains of these heroic Confessors were 
interred amid the ruins of a certain Franciscan friary ; 
but no mention is made of the place of their execution.** 

In the county Down, also, on a peninsula of Lough 
Strangford, Sir John de Courcy built an abbey for the 
Cistercians at INNIS-COURCY," A.D. i i8o. It was dedicated 
to the Blessed Virgrin, and received its first community 
from the great monastery of Furness. The founder 
seems to have been most generous to this house ; but we 
are reminded that it was at the expense of other Irish 
monastic institutions which he had despoiled. Africa, 
his wife, endowed Gray Abbey,*^ in the barony of Ardes, 
county Down, for the same Order (a.D. 1193) ; placing 
it, likewise, under the protection of Our Lady. The 
abbey of Holmcultrain in Cumberland furnished the 
members of its first community. Having chosen it to 
be her own last resting-place, the effigy of the foundress, 
carved in stone, was set in a niche on the Gospd^ide of 
the High Altar. Like many other Cistercian foundations 
made in Ireland, this abbey bore a distinctive title, 
being popularly known as " St. Mary's of the Yoke of 
God." Judging from its ruins, and from the inventory 
taken at the time of its suppression, we can form an idea 
of its importance in the Order. Cumber abbey" also 
was in this county, dating from the year 1199; and 
under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin. Its founder 
was Bryan Catha Dun, who brought over a community 
from the Cistercian abbey of Alba-landa in Wales. A 
few years afterwards (a.D. 1201) this pious man was 
slain in battle by Sir John de Courcy. Mention is made 
of a certain John O'MuUigan as being the last abbot of 
Cumber. Here we may say that the State Papers dealing 
with this subject furnish the most striking proof of the 
" " Onr Martyrs," p. 362. «»-» Walsh, pp. 416, 415* 4". 



THE ORDER OF CITEAUX. 135 

Utter failure of the dissolution of the Irish monasteries 
as a means to the iniquitous end which the oppressors 
of the monks and friars had in view : the members of the 
Order of Citeaux being among those against whom the 
roydl agents had most bitter complaint to make.^ 

There was only one house of the Cistercian Order in 
the county Deny— that of MoYCOSQUiN,** founded either 
in the year 1172 or 1218 ; and dedicated to the Mother 
of God : it was also called " the Abbey of the Qear Spring." 
Nothing is known concerning its benefactors ; but 
allusion is niade to an abbot named John, whom Pope 
Boniface IX. appointed to the See of Derry, A.D. 1401. 
As for the Cistercian abbey established at HiLLFOTHUiR,®* 
county Donegal^ A.D. 1194, we are merely told that 
owing to the wars between the native Irish and the 
Anglo-Norman invaders, it eventually became united to 
the abbey of Arstrath-Ashroe, in the same county, upon 
which it had been dependent. This abbey of ASHROE,*''' 
on the river Erne near Ballyshannon, was built by 
Roderick O'Cananan, Prince of Tyrconnell, in the year 
X178 ; the members of the first community having been 
supplied by the abbot of Boyle, county Roscommon. A 
king of Tyrconnell, Donnell O'Donnell, came thither to 
prepare for death, A.D. 1241 ; and another scion of the 
same family, Thomas MacCormac O'Donnell — abbot of 
Ashroe and renowned for his great holiness and learning 
— ^was consecrated Bishop of Raphoe in the year 1319 ; 
while in 1348 the See of Achonry was governed by 
Nicholas O'Hedram, also a monk of the same abbey. 
The buildings were destroyed by fire in 1377 ; and in 
1398 the community suffered much at the hands of some 
lawless persons. All the monastic property was seized by 
the Elizabethan plunderers ; but so long as the O'Neills 
and the O'Donndls had the power to protect them, we 
are assured that as many as thirty religious were enabled 

»* " Sute Papers " (Brady), p. 57, xf . »-" Walsh, pp. 401, 406, 40a. 



136 A SECOND THEBAID. 

to follow their holy vocation there in peace. It was only 
after those noble Princes had at length been driven into 
exile by the English that Ashroe could be pillaged with 
impunity : then, too, Fathers Eugene O'Gallagher and 
Bernard OTrevir were called upon to lay down their 
lives for the Faith (A.D. 1606). Another monk of the 
Order of Citeaux, Father James Eustace, received the 
Martyr's palm on the 8th of September in the year 1620 ; 
and in 1645 Father Edmund Mulligan, " the oldest of 
the Cistercians in Ireland," merited a like glorious 
reward for his heroic constancy and zeal ; being at the 
time in the seventy-second year of his age.^ 

The munificence of Harvey de Monte Maurisco enabled 
the Cistercians to erect a great abbey at Dunbrody,^ on 
the river Barrow, county Wexford (A.D. 1 1 78). Resigning 
an important office of trust, which he held under the 
Earl of Pembroke, the founder himself, a year afterwards, 
joined the Order of Citeaux in the abbey of the Holy 
Trinity at Canterbury. Dunbrody abbey was dedicated 
to Our Lady and St. Benedict. Among its benefactors 
were Richard, Earl of Pembroke, and his grandson Walter, 
who seem, however, to have so bestowed their gifts as also 
to benefit the monks of Bildewas, in Shropshire ; for 
in the year 11 82 the community of the latter abbey 
granted their rights over Dunbrody to the Cistercians of 
Dublin, the deed being ratified by the Prince, who sub- 
sequently became known as King John. Another great 
benefactor of this abbey was Herlewin, Bishop of Leighlin, 
whose death occurred in the year 1216. This was one of 
the foundations affected by that shameful statute for- 
bidding the reception of "the mere Irish" (A.D. 1380); 
a fact which did not prevent the community getting into 
serious trouble with the representatives of the law in the 
course of a very few years. In the beginning of the 
fifteenth century, King Henry the Fourth seems to have 
^ *' Our Martyrs," pp. 220, 260, 301. » Alemand, p. 171. 



THE ORDER OF CITEAUX. 1 37 

been favourably disposed towards the monks of 
Dunbrody. 

The origin of TiNTERN abbey,*® also in the county 
Wexford, was due to a resolution taken by William, Earl 
of Pembroke, when in imminent peril at sea. Hence, it 
was known as ** St. Mary's of the Vow " ; and called 
"Tintem," because the first monks came thither from 
the great Cistercian abbey of that name in Monmouth- 
shire. Its possessions were very valuable ; and the 
abbot took rank as a Baron in Parliament. An Irishman 
was raised to that dignity in the year 1 346 ; still in 1 380 
Parliament enacted that in future the ** mere Irish * 
should not be permitted even to join the Order at Tintern. 

Abbeyleix,** in the Queen's County,- derives its name 
from a Cistercian foundation made there by Corcheger 
O'More in honour of the Blessed Virgin (a.d. 1183). 
The monks who formed the first community were taken 
from the monastery of Baltinglass. It was near Abbey- 
leix that the English met with so signal a defeat in the 
year 1421 ; the Irish on that occasion being led by a 
descendant of the pious Corcheger O'More. The Ormond 
family, whose ancestor had been conquered in that same 
battle, obtained a considerable part of the monastic 
property at the suppression of Abbeyleix. 

The abbey of DOUSK, or Graignebcanach "— " the Vale 
of St. Saviour * — in the county KJlkenny, was built for a 
community of Cistercians brought over from the monas- 
tery of Stanly, in Wiltshire, by William Mareschal, Earl 
of Pembroke, A.D. 1204. It was under the patronage of 
Our Lady. In the year 1225 the founder's son confirmed 
all the donations previously made to the monks of Dousk. 
It was one of the hoiises to suffer by the infamous Decree 

^ Alemand, pi 171. 
NoTS — Stephen's txanslation of " VHUtoire Mamastique ctlrdande " is 
far more osefnl than the original work, Alemand's errors being, in many 
instances, corrected by the learned author of " Ancient Abbeys,'' etc. 
(London, 1722). 

^ «ArchdaU, pp. 586, 351. 



138 A SECOND THEBAID. 

of 1380, excluding "the mere Irish" from profession; 
although we are assured that this abbey was deeply 
indebted to the generosity of Irish Princes — ^Dermot 
O'Ryan and Dermot, son of the King of Leinster — ^from 
the year 1227. Charles O'Cavanagh was abbot in 1524, 
and bestowed many rich gifts on the community, 
notably a beautiful silver-gilt cross. He assisted at the 
Fifth Lateran G>uncil(A.D. 1512-1517), as Vicar-General 
of the Bishop of Leighlin ; and was still abbot of Dousk 
when the monastery fell into the hands of heretical 
plunderers (a.d. 1537). But the monks must have been 
allowed to remain on there until the reign of Queen 
Elizabeth ; for we read that the entire community was 
seized about the year 1584 ; and that the religious were 
all put to death for having refused to obey an impious 
decree which implied the denial of their Faith.** The 
famous abbey of JERPOINT** was also in the county 
Kilkenny. Founded sometime in the twelfth century by 
Donald, Prince of Ossory, " the mere Irish " — his fellow- 
countrymen — ^were prevented taking the vows of 
Religion there by the Parliament in which the abbot of 
Jerpoint had himself a right to sit as a spiritual peer of 
the Realm. It was richly endowed by various benefactors, 
whose donations received the sanction of King John. A 
holy Bishop, named Felix O'Dullany, died in the year 
1202 ; and his remains were interred in this abbey : it is 
recorded that many miracles were wrought at his tomb. 
The Ormond family became enriched by the confiscation 
of Jerpoint. 

In the county G>rk, the Roches founded an abbey for 
Cistercian monks, in honour of the Blessed Virgin, at 
Fermoy,** on the Blackwater (A.D. 1171). The religious 
were taken from one of the houses of the same Order 
in the county Tipperary. A generous grant was made to 
this abbey in 1290 by Maurice le Fleming; the only 
« " Onr Martjm," p. lao. « Walik, p. 493. 



THE ORDER OF CITEAUX. 139 

other item of interest recorded is the sad death of the 
abbot Maurice Garton, who was drowned in the river 
Puncheon, A.D. 1301. The Cistercian monastery of 
Maure,** in the same county, was endowed in 1172 by 
Dermod MacCormac MacCarthy, King of Desmond, who 
obtained a community from the abbey of Baltinglass. 
An abbot of Maure, John Imurily, was consecrated 
Bishop of Ross in the year 1519. At the Suppression, all 
the monastic lands and buildings were granted for ever 
to a certain Nicholas Walsh by Queen Elizabeth. G>re 
Abbey — or " the Choir of St. Benedict," as it was called 
— owed its origin to the FitzGerald family, who erected 
this monastery for the Cistercians at Middleton,*'' county 
Cork (A.D. 1 1 80). It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin ; 
and must have been of considerable importance, judging 
even from the little known of its history. Some 
writers say that the De Barrys were the founders, and 
that the first community came from the Cistercian abbey 
of Nenay,** county Limerick. According to a well-estab- 
lished tradition, this abbey of Nenay, called " De Magio," 
gave forty Confessors to the Irish Church in the year 
1585: they proclaimed their loyalty to the Faith and 
the monastic profession by gladly suffering a cruelly 
violent death in the cause of Truth.** There was another 
abbey of the Order of Citeaux in the county Cork at 
Tracton,^ built in the year 1224 by Maurice MacCarthy, 
and afterwards known as ** St. Mary's." From this house, 
likewise, " the mere Irish " were excluded by that 
iniquitous Act of 1380. The abbot of St. Mary's was a 
** Lord of Parliament." In this county, too, was the 
abbey of INCHRIE,*^ established for the same Order, and 
dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, the only fact recorded 
concerning its history. 

«^ Alcmand, pp. 181-185. • " Our Martyis," p. 192. 

" "^ Ware C' Antiquities ")i PP- 101-102. Allusion is also made to Abbby- 
Mahon, which the Cistercians are said to have founded for themselves in 
the barony of Barrjrroe.— Walsh, p. 583. 



I40 A SFXOND THEBAID. 

Of the Cistercian abbeys founded in the county Tip- 
perary, mention is first made of the monastery of HORE,*' 
situated near Cashel, dedicated to Our Lady, and originally 
intended for the monks of St. Benedict. But in the year 
1272, David MacCarvil, Archbishop of Cashel, intro- 
duced a community of Cistercians there from Mellifont 
abbey, taking the habit of the Order among them himself 
eventually. William Fethard was a great benefactor to 
this house (a.d. 1290), the entire possessions of which 
passed into the hands of Queen Elizabeth's favourites at 
the Suppression. An hospital for lepers, opened at Cashel 
by Sir David de Latimer, in honour of St. Nicholas, 
became united to Hore Abbey about the time it was 
occupied by the monks of Citeaux. Some writers speak 
of a Cistercian foundation at Glandy,^* which seemsr to 
have been dependent upon Jerpoint abbey ; Glandy is, 
however, in the county Cork. And there was the famed 
abbey of Holy Cross,** on the bank of the river Suir, 
founded in 1182 by Donagh Carbragh O'Brien, King of 
Leinster, in honour of the Holy Cross, Our Lady, and St. 
Benedict. Probably its first community was taken from 
" De Magio Abbey," county Limerick. As a spiritual peer 
of the Realm, the abbot was styled " Earl of Holy Cross" ; 
and, usually, held the office of Vicar of the Order in 
Ireland. Still we find that at a General Chapter, con- 
vened at Clairvaux in the year 1249, the monastery of 
Holy Cross was made subject to the abbey of Furness, in 
Lancashire. A very renowned Archbishop of Cashel — 
Matthew O'Heney — died a most saintly death in this 
abbey, A.D. 1207, Another interesting record is that of 
the visit of " the Great O'Neal," who came in the year 
1559 to venerate the relic of the True Cross, preserved 
in the church of this monastery. Finally, allusion is 
made to the abbey of INISLAUNACHT,^* also on the Suir, 



*®-" Walsh, pp. 659, 391, 667; Alemand, p. 183. ' 
" Archdall, p. 661. 



THE ORDER OF CITEAUX. I4I 

where a monastic institution had been established by St. 
Pulcherius in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary ; which 
ancient sanctuary was replaced^ A.D. 1 184, by a Cistercian 
foundation, jointly endowed by Donald O'Brien, King of 
Leinster, and Malachy O'Foelan, Prince of the Decies. 
An Archbishop of Cashd, who died in 1238, was interred 
at .Inislaunacht ; and the following year a new com- 
munity was sent from Fumess to take over the charge 
of this abbey. It appears, moreover, that the pious 
Donagh Carbragh O'Brien endowed another house for 
the same Order at KiLLCOOLY,** county Tipperary, in 
honour of Our Lady, A.D. 1200- 1209 ; it is supposed to 
have been one of the monasteries dependent on the abbey 
of Jerpoint in the county Kilkenny. 

Perhaps the most important foundation of the Order 
of Citeaux in the West of Ireland was that known as 
ABBEYKNOCKMoy,*^ in the county Galway. Cathal 
O'Connor, King of Connaught, was the founder (A.D. 
1 1 90) ; he dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin, through 
whose intercession he overcame his enemies in that same 
place ; hence the monastery was called, " Our Lady's 
of the Victory." Ten years afterwards this monarch 
was deprived of his kingdom by William FitzAddm de 
Burgo, who — styled *the Conqueror of Connaught" — 
plundered, and all but destroyed Abbeyknockmoy. 
However, King Cathal was again restored (A.D. 1202) ; 
while De Burgo very soon ended his career by a most 
miserable death. The monastic buildings were then 
repaired, and the royal founder became a monk there 
himself in the course of time. His saintly death occurred 
in the year 1224 ; his tomb may still be seen amid the 
ruins of the sacred edifice so dear to him in life. We 
are told that to the Cistercians of Abbeyknockmoy was 
transferred, by Papal authority, the friary which the 
O'Malley family had built for Carmelites — in honour 
M "ArchdaU pp. 664, 266. 



142 A SECOND THEBAID. 

of the Blessed Virgin — on Clare Island,*® county 
Mayo. 

The abbey of CORCUMROE,* county Clare, was royally 
endowed for the Order of Citeaux, either by Donald 
O'Brien, King of Limerick, A.D. 1194 ; or, according to 
some writers, in the year 1200 by his son, Carbroc. It 
was under the patronage of Our Lady ; and was 
called "the Abbey of the Fertile Rock "—probably 
because of its vicinity to a celebrated well dedicated to 
St. Patrick on the very summit of the Rosraly mount£^in. 
The surrounding country soon became known as Gouna- 
monagh, or ** the Glen of the Monks." Although subject 
to the abbey of Suire, or Innislaunaght, county Tipperary, 
the picturesque ruins show that it must have been a 
foundation of much importance ; for they afford abun- 
dant evidence of the grandeur of the original structure. 
Indeed, from this abbey was founded the Cistercian 
monastery of KlLSHANNY,*^ county Limerick, which 
afterwards became dependent upon Corcumroe, the 
latter being eventually made subject to Furness Abbey 
in Lancashire. An abbot of Kilshanny was appointed 
Bishop of Kilfenora in the year 1273; and in 141 8, 
John, abbot of Corcumroe, was called to govern the See 
of Kilmacduagh. A conspicuous object in the ruined 
sacred edifice is the tomb of the King of Thomond slain 
in a great battle fought near Corcumroe in the year 1 267. 
The monastic lands were granted to Sir Richard Harding 
at the Suppression ; but during the reign of Queen 
Elizabeth they appear to have passed into the possession 
of a certain Donogh O'Brien.^^ 

We find mention made of only two convents of Irish 
Cistercian nuns, and not even these were known to all 

"Walsh, p. 564. 

»» Ibidem, p. 372. Lewis, vol. i., p. i, sg, 

"Archdall, p. 425. 

" Ibidem, pp. 44, 786. Walsh has " Killshanc," p. 530. 



THE ORDER OF CITEAUX. I43 

our annalists : that of DOWN,^ concerning which no 
information whatever, beyond the mere fact of its 
existence, has been preserved for us ; and the 
nunnery of Derry,** founded in the year 121 8 by a 
member of the family of " the Royal O'Neils." Like 
the Cistercian monks, it was the vocation of these 
nuns to influence the world outside the Cloister, chiefly 
by the unceasing exercise of the spirit of penance and 
prayer. 

« « Burke, p. 743. «• 



CHAPTER X. 

THE DOMINICANS. 

Saint Dominic was still in his early manhood when 
chosen by Diego, the zealous Bishop of Osma, in Old 
Castile, to introduce a more austere mode of life among 
the Canons of the cathedral church. A wonderful 
success proved the wisdom of that Prelate's choice. 
And later on he employed the talents, especially the 
eloquence, of the humble Dominic in a great crusade 
against the Albigenses, then causing dreadful ravages 
in Christendom. For in that heresy had been revived 
the gross errors of the Manichaeans concerning a creative 
principle of evil, to which the Albigenses added their 
own false theories on Infant Baptism, and other matters 
of Catholic Belief. The heretics had already been 
condemned, A.D. 1176, at a Synod held in Alby (a 
city of Languedoc — ^whence their name) a very short 
time before our Saint's birth at Calaruega, also in Old 
Castile. 

It was while engaged in thus upholding the cause 
of Orthodoxy, that Dominic received the inspiration 
to found a Religious Order which should have for its 
special object the defence of Catholic Truth by preaching. 
Attracted by his holy life and burning zeal, some sixteen 
young men placed themselves at his absolute disposal 
in the year 121 5 ; and, finally, he obtained the sanction 
of Pope Innocent III. to establish such an institute ; 
but on condition that its members should adopt the Rule 



THE DOMINICANS. I4S 

of one of the Religious Orders then existing in the Church. 
Being himself a Canon Regular, naturally St. Dominic 
preferred to conform to the monastic l^sladon of that 
great Order ; selecting, moreover, a number of the very 
austerest statutes in the Norbertine Code ; and, in the 
beginning, no alteration was made in the religious habit 
which he already wore. The first house of the new 
Order was opened at Toulouse ; and, in the year 1216, 
the holy founder himself made his profession, according 
to the Rule thus adopted, before Pope Honorius III., 
who formally approved of the mode of life to which 
St. Dominic and his followers bound themselves, being 
thenceforth distinguished by the title of "Friars 
Preachers." Subsequently, they became more generally 
known throughout France by the name of * Jacobins," 
owing to the fact of their principal monastery in Paris 
having been dedicated to St. James. In the course 
of time the black cassock and the rochet of the Canons 
Regular were changed for the beautiful Dominican 
habit, soon to be seen in every part of the world ; the 
popularity of the Order being vastly increased by the 
institution of the Tertiaries — ^whereby the Saint would 
enrol countless numbers of the laity, and of both sexes, 
in a grand apostolate of good example : so that they, 
too, by their own edifying lives might help to forward 
the sacred cause of Truth. 

A General Chapter of the Order was held in the year of 
St, Dominic's death — ^A.D. 1 22 1 — by which time as many 
as sixty friaries had been established, so eager were the 
Faithful everywhere to profit by the ministry of those 
zealous Preachers; and to participate in the spiritual 
favours enjoyed by the loyal clients of the Queen of 
the Most Holy Rosary. The Dominicans were now 
recognised in the Church as a Mendicant Order, having 
renounced all personal possessions and relying on the 
charity of the Faithful for the means of subsistence. 

L 



146 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Of the eight Provinces then erected, the various founda- 
tions made both in England and in Ireland formed but 
one ; although in the latter country the Friars Preachers 
were numerous even during the life-time of St. Dominic 
himself, or, certainly, very soon after his death. Indeed, 
some writers assert that several of the Irish monasteries 
were, as a matter of fact, founded at the Saint's own 
request. However, it was only towards the end of the 
fifteenth century (A.D. 1484), that the first Irish 
Province of the Order was established independent of 
that of England : the occasion being seized by the 
Superiors for the introduction of a Reform into the 
different friaries. As in the case of the Cistercians, 
and other Religious Orders, the circumstances of the 
times had prevented the Dominicans living up to their 
Rule in all its primitive austerity.* 

On their first coming to Ireland in the year 1224, 
the sons of St. Dominic were given an abbey in 
Dublin,^ which had been originally built by the Earl 
of Pembroke for monks of the Order of Citeaux. The 
site of this monastery is now occupied by the Four G>urts. 
It is recorded in the ** Annals of Ireland," that a number 
of religious institutions were established all over the 
cotmtry about the same time, notwithstanding the 
fierce wars then being waged in consequence of the 
callous efforts made by the Anglo-Norman adventurers 
to deprive the native chieftains of their territories.* 
In acknowledgment of their indebtedness to the 
Cistercians, the Dominican community of Dublin had 
agreed to light a taper in St. Maiy's Abbey every year 
at Christmas. The friary was dedicated to St. Saviour 
in the year 1238 ; and in 1304 we read that it was 

^**imirmaD(mmuaMa" {DeBvLTgo. This aothor's name is more 
generally written in the anglicised fonn^Borke), pp. 74-76i sg-—^* 3istmr$ 
dm CUiiit'* voL iii., pp. 8-20. 

* Burke, p. 187,*^. 

* '< The Kingdom of Ireland " (Walpole). p. zv. 



THE DOMINICANS. I47 

destroyed by fire, together with a great part of the dty ; 
but it was speedily rebuilt— special mention being made 
of the Mayor's great generosity to the Dominicans. 
This benefactor was John le Decer, the first to hold 
the office of Chief Magistrate after Dublin had been 
constituted a corporate city by King Edward the Second, 
A.D. 1308. An interesting custom arose, at a very early 
date, which the Mayor and Municipal Council were 
most particular in observing : to visit the Dominican 
friary, in procession, after their election each year ; 
and there receive Holy Communion ; one of the priests, 
also, being appointed to preach before them on the 
duties of those charged with the temporal welfare of 
the city — explaining how they should be held (respon- 
sible to God for any abuse of their authority. The 
Dominican church and monastery were again burned 
down in the year 1316 ; but this time the citizens them- 
selves wrought the work of destruction, using the 
materials of the monastic buildings to repair the city 
walls on the approach of the army of Edward Bruce. 
Reparation was made, however, as soon as the panic 
caused by the advent of the Scottish troops had ceased ; 
and both church and friary were restored to their former 
state. 

Many of the members of the community of St. Saviour's 
were distinguished sons of St. Dominic ; several of them 
being raised to the Archiepiscopal See of Dublin. And 
the Annals of the Order record what efforts were made 
by the religious there for the welfare of the Irish Church, 
and to forward education in Ireland. The Dominican 
School for Philosophy and Divinity was opened on 
Usher's Island in the year 1428, and dedicated to St. 
Thomas of Aquin — the glorious Angelic Doctor. For 
the greater convenience of the students attending 
lectures there, the friars built a " splendid bridge " over 
the river, Burke assuring us that in his own childhood 



148 A SECOND THEBAID. 

he had seen the very font from which a lay-brother 
— ^in charge of the Toll — ^used to sprinkle those passing 
over with holy water. Later on, A.D. 1475, the members 
of the four Mendicant Orders — ^the Dominicans, Francis- 
cans, Carmelites, and Augiistinians — obtained a Brief 
from Pope Sixtus IV. to establish a University in the 
city of Dublin, hoping to perfect the plan of 
Archbishop Alexander de Bicknor, who had secured 
the sanction of Pope John XXII. for a like undertaking 
more than a century and a-half previously, A.D. 1320. 
[Indeed, his predecessor, John Lech, had procured a 
Bull for the same purpose from Pope Qement V. in the 
year 1311.)* But even as the enterprise of that zealous 
Prelate had failed for want of the needful funds j so, in 
after years, were the friars of Dublin unable to complete 
their most praisewx>rthy project before the suppression 
of the Irish monasteries.* Two Dominicans of the 
Dublin community suffered death for their Faith and 
Profession during the Puritan persecution : Father 
Peter Higgins, slain in 1642 (and apparently not to be 
identified with the prior of the friary at Naas, another 
of our Irish Confessors of the same year) ; and Father 
Raymond Moore, who died in prison, A.D. 1665.* 

The next foundation made for the Friars Preachers 
in Ireland was at Drogheda,^ county Louth ; this house 
also dated from the year 1224. It owed its origin 
to Luke Netterville, Archbishop of Armagh, and was 
dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen, to whom the pious 
founder had great devotion. The remaining records 
of this monastery contain many an interesting episode, 
illustrating the civil as well as the ecclesiastical history of 
Drogheda ; to which, however, we may only make passing 
allusion here. Archbishop Netterville died a few years 

^ " Historical Collections/' p. 248. See Ware's *' Antiquities," ch. xv. 

» Burke, pp. 190-194. • " Our Martyrs," pp. 271-363. 

^ Burke p. 198. 



THE DOMINICANS. I49 

after the completion of the Dominican church and 
friary, his remains being interred within the precincts 
of the sacred edifice with great solemnity. At least 
eight of his successors were chosen from among the sons 
of St. Dominic : Walter Joyce, amongst others, who was 
brother of Cardinal Thomas Joyce — a student with 
St. Thomas of Aquin under Blessed Albert the Great. 
Various indulgences were granted by Pope Boniface IX., 
in 1399 and again in 1401, to those visiting the 
Dominican church at Drogheda — ^the grand privilege 
of the " PortiuncuUa " being one of the favours then 
bestowed. 

We are further assured that when a fierce strife had 
arisen between the inhabitants of the quarters of the 
city lying in different counties — each faction contending 
for practically distinctive civic rights — the riot could 
only be quelled by an eloquent Dominican friar named 
Philip Bennet, who invited the leaders of all parties 
to a special sermon preached in the church of St. Peter, 
A.D. 141 2. Taking for his text the beautiful words: 
"Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren 
to dwell together in unity " (Ps. cxxxii. i),— he succeeded 
in so impressing his audience, that an Alderman, who 
had most adherents in the dispute, called out in the 
name of all saying that the citizens of Drogheda desired 
earnestly to live thenceforward in Christian peace. And 
steps were immediately taken to obtain a charter from 
Parliament, whereby all the inhabitants should become 
united under the jurisdiction of one Chief Magistrate, 
elected to ofHce by the suffrages of the people's repre- 
sentatives. The very first chosen for this dignity was 
William Symcock — ^the man who, despite his personal 
feelings, had thus spoken publicly in the interests of 
fraternal luiion and peace. 

In the year 1484, the strict observance of the Dominican 
Ride was enforced in the friary at Drogheda with the 



ISO A SECOND THEBAID. 

sanction of the General Chapter of the Order held in 
Rome. But this Reform merely implied the discon- 
tinuance of such dispensations as had been granted 
to the Friars Preachers owing to the exigencies of the 
times ; and rather afford a proof of the zeal of the Irish 
Dominicans in the exercise of their vocation. We 
may remark, in passing, that some ten years later, A.D. 
1494, Sir Edward Poyning's notorious Bill was framed 
in a Parliament convened at Drc^heda — ^the effect of 
which was to render null any measure adopted by the 
Irish Government, unless the consent of the English 
ministers had previously been obtained ; to this, as 
one of the chief causes, might be traced the political 
troubles of the following century. In the after history 
of the Dominicans of Drogheda, it is recorded that the 
Cromwdlian soldiers beheaded two members of the 
Order in that city in the year 1649 : Fathers Dominic 
Dillon and Richard Oveton, the latter having been 
sometime prior of the friary at Athy.® 

The Dominican friary of Kilkenny,* was a splendid 
edifice built by William Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, 
in honour of the Blessed Trinity (A.D. 1225). When 
the founder died in 1231, his remains were interred 
within the choir of the church adjoining the "Black 
Abbey," as this and other monasteries of the different 
Mendicant Orders were called — ^the title of "Abbey " being 
always held in loving esteem and reverence by the Irish 
people. A member of this community, Hugh by name, 
was elected Bishop of Ossory in 1259 ; several other 
Dominicans governed the same See in the course of 
time ; while quite a number of renowned sons of St. 
Dominic once dwelt in the friary at Kilkenny. The 
history of the Black Abbey, even after its suppression 
in the time of King Henry VIII., is full of facts of vivid 

• Burke, p. 203. " Our Martyrs," p. 31a Walsh, p. 544. 
' Barke, p. 204. 



THE DOMINICANS. IS I 

interest, especially during the epoch of the Catholic 
Confederation. For the Friars Preachers had then 
regained possession of this monastery, as well as of many 
others seized by the royal agents in the previous century ; 
but, of course, they were driven thence again when 
Cromwell came to Ireland. 

The superior elected at the Dominican Chapter, 
held in Kilkenny, a.d. 1643, was afterwards appointed 
Bishop of Emly : the Martyr Prelate, Terence Albert 
O'Brien. Having seized the city of Limerick, Ireton 
tried every means, both threats and bribes, to induce 
this heroic Confessor to deceive the people and deny 
his Faith. Not alone did the saintly Bishop reject these 
l>ase offers with scorn ; but warned Ireton that he himself 
should speedily appear before the judgment-seat of 
God to answer for his crimes : a prophecy fidfilled very 
soon after the Confessor's cruel death (a.d. 165 i).^® 

According to the Dominican annalists, there was 
a friary of the Order at Thomastown," in the county 
Kilkenny, of which, however, nothing is known beyond 
the fact of its existence being alluded to in an official 
document ; and of St. Dominic being mentioned as its 
Patron. The same authorities speak of a Dominican 
novitiate at a place called Thornback,^' not far from 
Kilkenny and dependent upon the Black Abbey. There 
was another house of the Friars Preachers at 
ROSSBERCON,^^ in the same county, dating from the year 
1267, and built by the families of Grace and Walsh, 
in honour of Our Lady's Assumption — ^the only record 
of this monastery that has come down to us. 

St. Saviour's friary, Waterford," — also popularly 
known as the " Black Abbey " — owed its origin to the 
citizens themselves, who presented it to the Dominicans, 
A.D. 1226. The Provincial Chapters were held here 

*• "Oar Martyis," p. 330. " Burke, p. 337. "• Ibidem, p. 20S. 
" Buike, p. 27a ^ Ibidem, p. 207. 



IS2 A SECOND THEBAID. 

from time to time ; and it is probaUe that the Dominican 
Bishops, who governed the Sees of Waterford and 
Lismore, had been members of the community of St. 
Saviour's. A renowned writer of the Order, who 
flourished sometime in the thirteenth century, was also 
a conventual of this friary : he was called " Godfry of 
Waterford.* Henry IV. appears to have been one of 
its benefactors at the beginning of the fifteenth century; 
another English monarch of the same name — ^King 
Henry VIH. — plundered the same monastery to reward 
the apostacy of his favourites. One of the Dominicans 
to die for the Faith in the year 1650 was Father James 
O'Reilly — a poet and great preacher — ^who durii^ 
the course of his zealous career had lived for a while 
in the ancient friary of his Order at Waterford. 

King Donagh Carbreagh O'Brien was founder of a 
Dominican monastery in the city of Limerick ; ^ it was 
built in the year 1227^ and like many houses of the same 
Order in Ireland was dedicated to St. Saviour. The 
pious monarch died in 1241, and was interred in the 
Dominican Church ; there, too, were deposited the 
remains of seven Bishops who had departed this life 
between the years 1250 and 1 3 2 1 . The strict observance 
was introduced into this house about the year 1504; 
and from 1522 a member of the community — Father 
John Quinn — governed the diocese of Limerick. In 
165 1 Father James Wolf — a Dominican — was publidy 
hanged in the city of Limerick, because of his zeal in 
preaching the true Faith. It seems that there was a 
vicariate of the Order, dependent on the Limerick 
monastery, at Six-MILE-BRIDGE/« county Clare; and 
at Ballynegall^^, county Limerick, the representatives 
of the Clan-Dillon family established a house for the 
Friars Preachers early in the fourteenth century. 
Gilbert, son of Lord Oflfaley, founded a Dominican 

" Ibidem, p. 209. 



THE DOMINICANS. I S3 

friary at KiLMALLOCK/® in the same county, A.D. 1291. 
Father Gerald Fitzgerald and Brother David Fox — mem- 
bers of this community — ^were slain by the heretics as 
they both knelt before the High Altar in prayer, A.D. 
1648 ; while in 1 691, Father Gerald Fitzgibbon— sub- 
prior of Kilmallock— laid down his life at Listowd in the 
same glorious cause, his name being the last that occurs 
on one of the lists of our Irish Confessors of the Faith.^* 
The Dominican friary of " St. Mary's of the Isle,* 
in CORK,^ dated from the year 1229, a pious man 
named Philip Barry being the founder. One of the 
religious of this house, Philip de Slane, was appointed 
Bishop of Cork in 1 32 1 ; a few years later King Edward II. 
sent him upon an important mission to Pope John XXII., 
acknowledging the Prelate's success on that occasion 
by making him a Privy Councillor after his return 
to Ireland. This Bishop's death occurred in the year 
1326. At the instance of the Provincial, Father Maurice 
Maral, the community adopted the strict observance 
towards the end of the fifteenth century. After the 
Suppression, a Protestant Bishop publicly burned — 
to the great grief of the now helpless Catholics of Cork — 
the statue of St. Dominic long piously venerated at St. 
Mary's of the Isle. In a subsequent persecution a member 
of the same community. Father Aeneas O'Cahil, shed 
his blood for the Faith (A.D. 165 1). The Friars Preachers 
had another foundation in the county Cork at a place 
called Glanore,^^ the Roches being the principal bene- 
factors of the community there. It probably dated 
from sometime in the thirteenth century, and was 
under the invocation of the Holy Cross. Not far from 
this friary was St. Dominic's well, much frequented 
by the people on the 4th of August — ^the feast of the 
Saint — each year. The Dominican monastery of 

M w 18 Burke, pp. 213, 340, 284. " ** Onr Martyrs," p. 373. 

» Burke, p. 214. " Burke, p. 333. 



154 A SECOND THEBAID. 

YOUGHAL,^ also,— built by Thomas, Lord Offaley (a.D. 
1268), — was first dedicated to the Holy Cross; but 
it afterwards became known as "St. Mary's of the 
Favours," because of the many extraordinary graces 
obtained there through Our Lady's intercession. At 
a General Chapter of the Order held in Rome, A.D. 1644, 
special mention was made of a statue of the Blessed 
Virgin, venerated in the Dominican church at Youghal 
from the remotest times. The names of several Friars 
Preachers appear among those of the Bishops of Qoyne ; 
one of these distinguished sons of St. Dominic was 
eventually trainslated to the Archiepiscopal See of Cashd, 
in the course of the thirteenth century. Provincial 
Chapters assembled in Youghal on various occasions, at 
one of which meetings we find particular allusion made 
to the generosity of a pious man named Robert Perdval, 
who died in the year 1303. In 1493 the strict obser- 
vance was adopted by this community at the command 
of Father Bartholomew de Comatio, General of the 
Order. The monastic buildings and eleven houses 
belonging to the friars in the town of Youghal were 
granted to a William Walsh during the reign of Queen 
Elizabeth. It appears quite certain that the Dominicans, 
as well as the Carmelites and the Franciscans, had a 
friary at Castlelyons," in the county Cork (A.D. 1307). 
But nothing is known concerning this monastery, except 
that it was an edifjang proof of John de Barr5r's devotion 
to the Blessed Virgin. 

It was in honour of Our Lady's Assumption that 
the Nugent family built a friary for the Dominicans 
in the year 1237 at MuixlNGAR,** county Westmeath. 

« Ibidem, pp. 271 > I'S- 

V Barke, p. 290 (Ware, Harris and Alemand are rtiy frequently quoted by 
the author of '' Ilibemia DcminicaHa^*). 

"•Ibidem, p. 217. " Our Martyrs," p. 291. According to Walsh, there 
were also Dominican friaries at Athnbcarne and at ToBKR, in the county 
of Westmeath (pp. 689, 700). 



THE DOMINICANS. 1 55 

From time to time the Provincial Chapters were held 
there ; and mention is made of one of the religions who 
had been taken thence to govern the ancient See of 
Qonmacnoise. During the Puritan persecution, the 
prior of this monastery — ^Father Stephen Pettit — was 
shot by the heretics while in the very act of hearing 
the confession of a penitent soldier ; a Dominican lay- 
brother, named Cormac Egan, likewise suffered death 
for the Faith about the same time. 

Next, in the order observed by Burke, comes a 
famous Dominican friary in the county Galway, known 
as the Abbey of Athenry.** Once the second city of 
Connaught, Athenry is now a small country town. But 
even at the present day there are traces of its former 
greatness well worthy of a visit — ^its historic ruins com- 
prising the picturesque remains of the monastery of 
Friars Preachers ; part of the ancient Franciscan church ; 
the old dty walls with crumbling towers ; and a castle 
said to have been built for King John, who, probably, held 
his court there when the place was one of the fashionable 
resorts of the Kingdom. The founder of the Dominican 
friary was Meyler de Bermingham, the second Lord 
Athenry, which title gave him the right of precedence 
among the Barons of Ireland. Its heavenly Patrons were 
the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul ; and 1 241 is the year 
assigned for its establishment. Some say that the 
founder's^father had received letters from St. Dominic 
himself requesting him to build this friary, but that 
he was prevented doing so by the frequent wars of 
the times; and hence it became his son's privilege to 
carry out the Saint's wishes later on. This Meyler 
de Bermingham died in the year 1252, and was interred 
in the church of the friary, which also contains the 
tombs of many renowned men. One of these was 
Florence MacFlynne, Archbishop of Tuam, whose death 
* Borke, p. 220, sq. Lewis, voL L, p. 82, x^. 



156 A SECOND THEBAID. 

occurred in 1256. He had bestowed large donations 
on the Dominicans of Athenry for educational purposes ; 
and had always taken a deep interest in the welfare 
of these Friars. Thomas O'Kdly, Bishop of Qonfert, 
who died in 1263^ was another benefactor of the same 
monastery ; as were^ likewise^ many of the Bishops and 
members of the various families laid to rest within the 
cloister there in the course of time. 

A short distance from the Dominican friary was fought 
the fateful battle of Athenry, between the English and 
the Irish— led by Feidhlim O'Connor, the last of his 
illustrious line to rule in Connaught as king; and he 
was among those slain that day (A.D. 13 16). 

Pope Boniface IX. granted an Indulgence to those who 
should visit the church of the Friars Preachers at Athenry 
(A.D. 1400) ; and when the monastic buildii^ had been 
accidentally destroyed by fire in the year 1423, Pope 
Martin V. bestowed a similar favour on all who made 
offerings for the purpose of restoring the sacred edifice : 
a privilege confirmed by Pope Eugene IV. in 1445, the 
community then numbering about thirty religious. It 
is recorded that four Dominican Archbishops governed 
the See of St. Jarlath — ^Athenry being in the Archdiocese 
of Tuam ; while, in after years, as many as seventeen 
conventuals of the friary of Saints Peter and Paul either 
died for the Faith, or were otherwise distinguished for 
their zeal and holiness. Father Gerald Dillon was one 
of the heroic Confessors, members of this community for 
a time ; he did not survive the hardships which he had 
to endure when in prison in the cause of Truth, a.d. 165 i. 
The learned Father James O'Cullan, also ; he secured the 
Martyr's crown the following year ; and, probably, two 
saintly lay-brothers slain by the heretics in some part of 
Connaught (a.d. 165 i): Donagh and James Moran. 
Although suppressed during the reign of King Henry 
VIII., and still more thoroughly dismantled by the 



THE DOMINICANS. 157 

Cromwellian vandals^ the ruined church and friary 
presented an imposing appearance even towards the end 
of the eighteenth century. But the walls of the monas- 
tery were eventually pulled down, the stones being used 
in the building of a barrack for soldiers close by : the 
scene — as the author has been assured by an eye-witness 
— of many of those horrors so frequent throughout the 
country during the dread year of 1798. That most 
unsightly building has been, in turn, replaced by a 
range of cottages, allowing a much better view of 
the ruins of the beautiful church, which will inspire 
many another generation of the Irish Faithful with 
proud and loving memories of the glory of our Western 
Thebaid. 

In the county Galway also, and, indeed, dependent on 
the friary of Athenry, was the Dominican vicariate of 
KiLCORBAN,** situated in the diocese of Qonfert. There 
had been, from a very early date, a church in the same 
place dedicated to St. Corban (a.d. 500) ; but in the year 
1444, the sacred edifice was granted to the members of 
the Third Order of St. Dominic and placed under the in- 
vocation of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, the sanc- 
tion of Pope Eugene IV. having previously been obtained. 
A miraculous statue of the Blessed Virgin was preserved 
there, an object of pious veneration to the people of the 
surrounding districts. The friary of St. Patrick at 
TOMBEOLA,^ in the same county, was also subject to the 
Dominican community at Athenry. Built by the 
O'Flaherty in 1427, rarely more than eight friars resided 
there. After its suppression in the reign of Queen 
Elizabeth, the materials were removed to erect a castle 
in the vicinity ; still we find that the zealous Friars 
Preachers continued to labour in the same district until 
the Cromwellian persecution. 
We have already alluded to the Dominican monastery 
• Burke, pp. 234, 342, tq. » • » Burke, pp. 307. 323, 303. 



158 A SECOND THEBAID. 

in the city of Galway,^ known as " St. Mary's of the 
Hill," first established for a community of Norbertines 
from the abbey of that Order at Tuam. It was at the 
petition of the citizens themselves that Pope Innocent 
VIII. granted this house to the Friars Preachers of 
Athenry (A.D. 1488). Among its more generous bene- 
factors is mentioned the famous JamesLynch FitzStephen. 
who built the choir of the church. When Mayor of the 
dty in 1493 he woidd not spare his own son, found guilty 
of the crime of murder : so just was that father, and 
loyal to the office which he held. In the year 1 570 Queen 
Elizabeth bestowed the monastery and its possessions, 
upon certain apostate citizens of Galway. 

The friary of PORTUMNA,** in the county Galway, 
occupied the site of a Cistercian ceU, which the Dominicans 
received in 1426 with the approval of the different 
Superiors-General, and the necessary Papal sanction. 
Through the munificence of the O'Madden, they were 
enabled to build a splendid church and monastery there, 
placing the same under the protection of Our Lady and 
Saints Peter and Paul. Pope Martin V. confirmed the 
gift, and granted, moreover, a special Indulgence to all 
who should further help in forwarding the good work. 
Several Dominicans were Bishops of Clonfert, to which 
diocese Portumna belongs ; and it is probable that they 
were members of the same community. 

Not alone was the friary at Cashel*^ the principal 
foundation of the Order in the county Tipperary ; but it 
is said to have been one of the very grandest Dominican 
monasteries in Ireland. It owed its origin — ^A.D. 1243 — 
to David MacKdly, the Dominican Archbishop of Cashd. 
St. Dominic was its Patron ; and the first community 
came from the friary of St. Mary's of the Isle, at Cork. 
Important Chapters of the Order were hdd at Cashd 
A.D. 1289 ; and again in 1307 ; but in 1480 both church 
» "Burke, pp. 235328. 



THE DOMINICANS. 1 59 

and friary were burned down by accident. The buildings 
were soon perfectly restored by John Cantwell, the then 
Archbishop of Cashel, at his own expense ; for which 
reason the Dominicans ever afterwards regarded him as 
the founder of this house ; and as such gave him a first 
place in the pious suffrages of their various communities 
throughout Ireland. Thts monastery was suppressed by 
Henry VIII., but the Friars Preachers regained possession 
during the reign of Charles I., making it serve the purpose 
of one of the colleges of the Order. Father Richard 
Barry, a celebrated orator slain by the heretics in 1647, 
was sometime prior of this community. The Dominicans 
had also a friary at Clonmel,^^ in the same county. 
Dedicated to St. Dominic, A.D. 1269, a community of his 
Order was still to be found there in the seventeenth 
century ; two of the religious, at least, being among 
our Irish Confessors of the Faith : Fathers Myler Magrath 
and Thomas O'Higgin — both hanged at Qonmd in the 
year 1651. The Friars Preachers of Lorrah,^^ county 
Tipperary, were indebted for that foundation to the 
generosity of Walter de Burgh (a.d. 1269). This house 
was dedicated to Saint Peter, a recently canonized Mart3rr 
of the Order of St. Dominic. A community had been 
enabled to dwell there again even after the Suppression ; 
for at a Chapter held in Lorrah, in the year 1688, as 
many as a hundred and fifty friars were present : a very 
small number, probably, compared to that Chapter 
which had assembled in the same place A.D. 1301. 

The year 1243 is assigned for the opening of the 
Dominican monastery of Holy Cross at Tralee,*' in the 
county Kerry ; Lord John FitzGerald, fourth Baron of 
Offaley, being the chief benefactor of this community. 
He and his son Maurice were both slain in the battle of 
Callin, A.D. 1 26 1. One of the religious of this house in 
after years was Father Daniel O'Daly — ^the renowned 

• "Burke, pp. 374, 237. " Oar Mutyrs," p. 353. 



l6o A SECOND THEBAID. 

• Friar Dominic of the Rosary/ wno founded the monas- 
tery of Corpo Santo in Lisbon (A.D. 1659). Mention 
is made of two Dominican Bishops appointed to the See 
of Kerry: one named Christian (a.d. 1256), the other 
(A.D. 1 341) Edward de Caermarthen. The prior of Tralec 
in 1653 was Father Tadhg Moriarty, who died for the 
Faith at Killarney. 

It is not known for certain who founded the Dominican 
friary at NEWTOWN,** county Down ; the more 
probable opinion assigns the merit of this work of piety 
to Walter de Burgh, Earl of Ulster (A.D. 1244). St. 
Columba was chosen as its Patron ; and it appears that 
the monastic buildings were so splendid as to elicit the 
admiration of the Fathers assembled in Chapter there in 
the year 1298 ; and again in 131 2. Several members 
of the Order were raised to the Episcopate as Bishops of 
Down and Connor ; and may have been members of the 
Newtown community. 

At GOLA,** in the county Fermanagh, the MacManus 
built a monastery for the Friars Preachers in honour of 
Our Lady's Nativity. His son, John, also took a keen 
interest in this pious work ; for he himself had been 
educated by the Dominicans of Athenry — sometime in 
the thirteenth century, probably — and was anxious 
that his native place should benefit by the zeal and 
learning of the sons of St. Dominic. 

In the county Derry, there was a friary belonging to 
the same Order at Coleraine,^ on the river Bann. It 
dated from the year 1244, some attributing its origin to 
the MacEvdyns ; others to the O'Cane family. The 
Blessed Virgin was the Patroness ; and her statue was 
devoutly venerated here, until the year 161 1, when the 
Protestant Bishop Babington tried to have it burned ; 
but he was suddenly seized by a malady of which he died 
most miserably. This was one of the communities that 

»* •» Burke, pp. 241, 33a * Barke, p. 243. 



THE DOMINICANS. l6l 

adopted the strict observance in the year 1484. Two 
religious of the same monastery were raised to the 
Episcopate; and in later times^ A.D. 1654, the prior. 
Father John O'Flaverly, and another Dominican named 
Father James O'Reilly were stoned to death because of 
their loyalty in the cause of Truth. In alluding to this 
foundation, Burke speaks of the difficulty of furnishing 
anything like a complete history of the monastic insti- 
tutions of Ireland ; seeing how the persecuted monks 
and friars could not possibly preserve their archives and 
libraries at the time of the terrible Suppression : a sad 
fact which many other writers have had occasion to 
deplore. O'Donnell, Prince of T)n-connell, was founder 
of the great friary which the Dominicans had at 
Derry*^ — ^A.D. 1274. There were usually a hundred and 
fifty religious there, many of them renowned for their 
wonderful holiness. The author of "Hibernia Dominicana* 
alludes to two Bishops of the Order who had been 
appointed to the See of Deny ; although their names are 
not mentioned by Ware. This monastery was utterly 
destroyed at the siege of Deny in the time of King James 
(a.d. 1689). At the beginning of the same century, A.D. 
1608, Father John Olvin, a member of this community, 
was put to death by the heretics ; a little later on his 
brother Donough — also a conventual of this house — ^and 
several members of the secular clergy shared his glorious 
fate; while in 1633 another heroic son of St. Dominic 
(Father Arthur MacGeoghegan) was arrested in London 
when on his way back to Ireland from Lisbon, and 
executed in that city on the evidence of notoriously 
perjured witnesses.** 

The most important of the Dominican friaries in the 
county Sligo was the foundation made in the town of 

^ Burke, p. 281. 

** " A History of the English Mission of Discalced Gannelitet ** (Father 
B. Zimmerman, O.D.C., London, 1899), pp. 45*48. 

II 



l6a A SECOND THEBAID. 

that name.'* Erected in the year 1252 by Maurice 
FitzGerald, and dedicated to the Holy Cross, this monas- 
tery became the scene of the labours of many distinguished 
members of the Order in the course of time. The 
O'Connors of Sligo, and Pierce O'Timony were among its 
most generous benefactors. It is interesting to recall 
that amid the pressing cares that weighed upon him 
during the Council of Constance, Pope John XXIII. 
issued a Decree, granting an Indulgence to all who 
should assist in the restoration of the Dominican church 
and friary at Sligo, accidentally destroyed by fire (a.d. 
1414). Both were rebuilt in 14 16 by Father Bryan 
liIacDermot MacDonagh ; and, notwithstanding the 
* thorough uprooting * of the Irish monasteries in sub- 
sequent times, the ruins still remaining testify to this 
friar's zeal, and afford evidence of the magnificence of 
the original buildings. Pope Innocent VIII. granted 
a special Bull in the year 1488, authorizing another 
member of the MacDonagh family to found a monastery 
for the Friars Preachers at Cloontmeaghan,^ in the same 
county, in honour of St. Dominic ; but making it subject 
to the community at Sligo. The Dominicans had, 
likewise, a house at Knockmore,^ county Sligo; although 
Burke himself seems inclined to identify this foun- 
dation with the friary which the O'Gara established in 
the same place for the Carmelites sometime during the 
fourteenth century. In this county, moreover, was the 
friary of Ballindune,** founded in the year 1427 by the 
joint efforts of the Dominicans of Athenry and the 
MacDonagh family in order to increase devotion to Our 
Blessed Lady. 

Originally intended for the Order of St. Francis, the 
friary of Strade,** county Mayo, was occupied by a com- 
munity of Dominicans from the year 1252. It was 
dedicated to the Holy Cross ; and is said to have been 
» • « Barke, pp, 246, 326. 344. 



THE DOMINICANS. I63 

a spacious edifice: Jordan de Exeter — ^the husband of 
Basilia, daughter of Meyler de Bermingham of Athenry 
— being a generous benefactor to the friars there. This 
monastery^ also^ was burned down early in the fifteenth 
centuxy. In 1434 we find Pope Eugene IV. granting 
an Indulgence to all who should help the community to 
restore the buildings. About the year 1469 Richard 
de Burgo^ of Turlough, and Lord William Oughter 
founded a house for the Friars Preachers at Burishcx^le,^ 
county Mayo^ in honour of the Blessed Virgin. Dominican 
writers^ however^ assign i486 as the date of its establish- 
ment, when Pope Innocent VIII. rectified some inform- 
alities connected with the granting of the monastic 
property to the community. Honoria Burke and 
Honoria Magaen — who were members of the Third 
Order of St. Dominic — dwelt in a house built by the 
former near the friary of Burishode, until they died in 
the year 1653 from the hardships which the Puritans 
caused them to suffer ; their remains were interred amid 
the ruins of the Dominican friary. The monastery of 
Rathbran,^ established for the Order of St. Dominic by 
Sir William Burke, sumamed ■ The Grey,*— Lord Justice 
of Ireland in 1274— was also in the same county. In 
later times it must have been used as a novitiate by the 
Irish Dominicans ; for Father Hugh MacGoil, who died 
for the Faith at Waterford in 1654, is said to have held 
the office of Master of novices there : a Father Walter 
Fleming was another member of this community put to 
death by the heretics about the same time. But it seems 
that the general novitiate for the province of Connaught 
was originally the friary of Drlarb,** county Mayo, built 
by the Nangle family in the year 1434— at least it was 
then the Dominicans obtained formal permission from 
Pope Boniface VIII. to avail themselves of their 
benefactors' generosity. Indeed postulants were sent to 
« « 44 Burke, pp. 249* 3i7. 279. 



l64 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Urlare from all parts of Ireland ; the solitude of the 
place being one of the features that rendered it so desirable 
as an abode for those entering on the way of rdlgious 
perfection. Community life was, as we have seen, 
resumed there after the Restoration ; but later on several 
of the friars, accordii^ to Burke, were slain by the 
heretics in hatred of their holy profession : among them 
the prior, Father Dominic Dillon, who, as already 
explained, received his glorious Crown at Drogheda. 

There was certainly a Dominican monastery at Athy ^ 
in the county Kildare ; although not a trace of the ruins 
remained even when Burke wrote his history of the 
Order in Ireland. This foundation dated from the year 
1253, owing its origin to the Wogans and Boiselles 
(or Boyle), who had undertaken the great work of piety 
in honour of St. Dominic. Important Chapters were hdd 
here in 1288; in 1295 ; and again early in the following 
century. At Naas,*« in the same county, a Dominican 
friary was founded by the Eustace family, A.D. 1356, and 
placed under the invocation of the Martyr, St. Eustachius, 
with whom they claimed kindred. There were two 
members of the Order Bishops of Kildare : Peter StoU, 
in the year 1529 ; and Rock McGeoghegan in 1640. In 
the following year, A.D. 1641, the prior of Naas, the 
saintly Father Peter O'Higgin — ^a very distinguished 
preacher — ^laid down his life for the Faith. 

There were five houses of the Friars Preachers in the 
county Roscommon,** the monastery in the town of this 
name being, by all accounts, the most important. It was 
established by Phelim O'Connor, King of Connaught, in 
the year 1253, as an act of homage to Our Lady. This 
pious monarch died in 1265, and was buried in the church 
of the Roscommon friary. The buildings were much 
injured by lightning in 1308 ; and during the wars of 
the fifteenth century were almost totally destroyed. 
« « « Burke, pp. 311, 254. CoinpAre Lewis, voL L p. 9a 



THE DOMINICANS. 16$ 

Hence, to this community, likewise. Pope Eugene IV. 
granted a great privilege by bestowing an Indulgence on 
the good work of forwarding the repair of both church 
and monastery (a.d. 1445). Not a few of the Bishops of 
Elphin were zealous sons of St. Dominic ; and at least 
three of our Irish Confessors were conventuals of the 
friaxy at Roscommon : Father Raymond Keoghy, killed 
by the heretics in 1642 ; Brother Donald O'Meaghen in 
1648 ; and another lay-brother named Bernard O'Kelly, 
who died in Galway in the year 1654. Burke alludes 
to several " vicariates " dependent upon this house ; but 
furnishes no information concerning them. The foun- 
dation made for the same Order at Towemonia,'^ county 
Roscommon, was also due to the piety of the O'Connor 
family ; it was handed over to the Franciscan tertiarics 
sometime before the Suppression. The MacDermot Roe 
was founder of the friary of Clonshanvil,*^ which occupied 
the site of the ancient abbey of St. Connedus, and was 
dedicated to the Holy Cross (a.d. 1385). Many illus- 
trious Dominicans bore the name of MacDermot — the 
prior of Qonshanvil in 1698 being lineally descended 
from the first benefactor of that monastery; and was one 
of those who had the glory of suflfering exile for the Faith 
that same year. Probably the friary of Knockvicar** 
also belonged to the Dominicans, having, according to 
some writers, been built for the Order by the Bingham 
family. Qose to that hill in the coimty Roscommon 
whereon the Kings of Connaught were proclaimed, may 
still be seen the picturesque remains of the monastery 
built by the MacDowels for the Friars Preachers, 
in 1448, at a place called TULSK," and piously dedicated 
to St. Patrick. 

The friary of TRIM "appears to have been the only 
foundation made for the Dominicans in the county 

« • » Burke, pp. 293, 257, 346. ■> Burke, pp. 295. 

" Alemand, p. 218. Burke, p. 345. " •* Bvrke, pp. 314, 262. 



l66 . A SECOND THEBAID. 

Meath (A.D. 1263). It was erected^ in honour of Our 
Lad/s Assumption, by Geoffrey de Grenville, Lord of 
Meath, who himself took the habit of the Order towards 
the close of his career ; his death occurring in the year 
1 314. A S3mod was convened in this monastery in 1291 
to further the interests of the Irish Church. Chapters 
of the Order, also, were held there frequently ; and it is 
said that even Parliament assembled in the great hall on 
several occasions. The church was destroyed by fire in 
1 368 ; but seems to have been speedily restored. Without 
entering into details, the annalists assure us that the 
lives and works of many members of this community 
were such as to enhance the glory of the Order of St. 
Dominic. 

The origin of the Dominican friary of Holy Cross at 
Arklow," county Wicklow, was primarily due to the 
generosity of Theobald FitzWalter, a member of the 
Butler family (A.D. 1264), A monument was erected to 
his memory in the adjoining church, the place of his 
burial in the year 1285. This was one of the Irish 
monastic establishments which Pope John XXIII. 
assisted, A.D. 14 14, by granting a special Indulgence — 
to be obtained on certain Festivals by all who should 
contribute towards the preservation of the buildings. 

In the town of Cavan,»« the O'Reilly, Dynast ot Breffny,. 
proved his devotion to the Blessed Virgin by erecting a 
monastery there, in her honour, for the Friars Preachers 
(A.D. 1300). But nearly a century later, A.D. 1393, we 
find the representatives of the same family instrumental 
in having the Dominicans replaced by a community of 
the Order of St. Francis ; no reason being assigned by 
historians for this change. However, the sons of St. 
Dominic appear to have made another foundation in 
Cavan eventually ; for we are told that several members 
of the Order laboured there most successfully during the 
» ■» Borke, pp. 265, 285. 



THE DOMINICANS. I67 

Penal Days. It is of interest to note that in the friary 
originally intended for the Dominicans were laid the 
remains of Owen Roe O'Neill after his base assassination 
at Qoughouter (Co. Cavan) in the year 1649. 

Hardly an)rthing is known concerning the friary 
founded for the Dominicans by Richard de Burgh, Earl 
of Ulster, at Caklingford,^^ county Louth, and dedicated 
to St. Malachy of Armagh. Yet it is said to have been 
regarded as a house of much importance in the Order. 

There was a foundation of the same Order at Aghaboe,*^ 
in the Queen's County, dating from the thir- 
teenth century, and being the fruit of the piety of 
the FitzGerald family. It occupied a site close to the 
church built to contain the shrine of St. Canice in 1052 : 
after a cathedral had been dedicated to the same Saint 
in the city of Kalkenny, the church at Aghaboe was 
restored for the Friars Preachers ; but it seems that both 
the shrine and the Relics perished at the sack of this 
town, A.D. 1346. 

Cornelius O'Ferrall, Bishop of Ardagh and scion of the 
noble house of Annally, was founder of the Dominican 
friary established at Longford,*^ A.D. 1400, in honour of 
St. Brigid. This pious Prelate died in the year 1424 ; in 
1429 the monastery, in which he had taken such an 
interest, was burned down ; to be rebuilt, however, by 
the people of Longford, whose zeal in this respect may 
well be attributed to the action of Popes Martin V. and 
Eugene IV. granting an Indulgence to all who should 
take part in the work of restoration. There were several 
Dominican friars among the Bishops of Ardagh ; and a 
number of distinguished members of the Longford com- 
munity bore the name of the founder of this friary : 
Fathers Laurence and Bernard O'Farrell being, in after 
years, slain in the church there as witnesses to the true 
Faith (A.D. 1 651); a sad reflection when we remember 
Of n » Barke, pp. 289, 296, 299. 



l68 A SECOND THEBAID. 

that a non-Catholic place of worship at present occupies 
the site of St. Brigid's ancient monastery .•• 

It is probable that the Dominicans had a foundation 
at Arbiagh,** also, for which they are supposed to have 
been indebted to the Primate, Patrick O'Scanlan, himself 
a member of the Order. He had previously (a.d. 1256) 
governed the See of Raphoe ; and became Archbishop of 
Armagh in 1261, receiving permission from Pope 
Alexander IV. to take two of his brethren in Religion 
to remain with him there. This eminent man died in the 
year 1270, and was interred in the Dominican church 
at Drogheda ; several other friars being among his 
successors in the See of Armagh. 

The friary of Clonmines** was in the county Wexford ; 
some writers hold that it had at first been intended for the 
Hermits of St. Augustine, and only passed into the posses- 
sion of the Dominicans in the fourteenth century ; others, 
however, are inclined to think that both these Orders 
had each a monastery there from the beginning ; but 
Burke assures us that he himself could find no trace 
of the friary of his Order in that place. ... It is 
probable, moreover, that besides the foundations here 
enumerated there may have been others of which all 
record has perished owing to that spirit of vandalism 
among the heretics so frequently commented upon by 
the author of the Hibernia Daminicana, 

Although instituted by the holy Founder of their 
Order himself, the Dominican nuns do not appear to 
have had any convents in Ireland before the time of King 
Henry the Eighth. Burke tells us that they were 
established both at Drogheda^ and at Waterford^ 
during that monarch's reign ; but of this fact there is 
no conclusive evidence. Numerous as were the friaries of 
the different Mendicant Orders founded throughout 

• Lewii,vol. i» p. 40. ^ ^ « "Burke, ppi 338, 34a 

• •• • Borkc, P.34S, if. 



THE DOMINICANS. 169 

the country, few, if any, nunneries belonging to these 
Orders seem to have been opened in Ireland until the 
seventeenth centuxy.* A fact apparently so strange — 
considering how many Irishwomen devoted their virginity 
to God in every age, sometimes even living in community 
according to the mode of life practised by the Canonesses 
of St. Augustine — may be easily explained, once we recall 
the almost incessant wars waged between the English 
and Irish from the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion. 
Hence, it is chiefly from the reign of Charles I. we find 
more frequent allusion made to the foundation of con- 
vents for nuns of the Mendicant Orders; especially, 
between the years 1642 and 1649, during which epoch 
the Dominicans were again very numerous in Ireland.^ 

* Ibidem, p. 116. 



CHAPTER XL 

THE ORDER OF ST. FRANQS. 

The existence of the Franciscan Order has been^ 
from the banning, a striking protest against the spirit 
of the world. Dispensing absolutely with the means 
deemed most necessary, from a mere human point 
of view, to further man's welfare upon earth, the 
members of this Institute have achieved triumphs of 
true Christian philanthropy which fill even those who 
would condemn their method of life with wondering 
awe. Poverty of the most rigid kind, according to 
the Gospel counsels, was chosen by the Seraphic Foimder 
of the Order as the basis of the spiritual structure of 
sanctity he would rear in the Church ; by Poverty, too^ 
has been wrought that stupendous miracle of his victory, 
which is as evident as ever in the results the Saint had 
hoped and prayed for — now after upwards of seven 
hundred years. 

Bom at Assisi, in the Province of Perugia, A.D. 1181, 
St. Francis embraced this life of extraordinary poverty 
about the time he had attained his twenty-fifth year, 
and when called to his reward (a.d. 1226), — bearing 
the Sacred Stigmata in his body as a proof of his favour 
before God — ^he had accomplished the task given him 
to do ; the fruits of which are shown forth in the ever- 
widening influences of the great Order that bears his 
name. But he did not attempt this crusade of Holy 
Poverty until he had passed several years in a little 
cottage near Assisi, practising the severest penances, 
and devoting himself entirely to contemplative prayer. 




00 

a. 















THE ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS. I/t 

Then^ drawn to him by his great holiness of life, some 
pious 3^ung men joined him there (a.d. 1209) ; and 
soon his humble dwelling became altogether too small 
for even the simple wants of those seeking the Saint's 
guidance in the spiritual way. Edified by the earnest- 
ness of these fervent youths, the Benedictines of Soubazo 
gave them a little oratory, dedicated to Our Lady of 
the Angels, which was on their estate at a place called 
PortiuncuUa. However, St. Francis would only occupy 
it on condition that his benefactors should accept, once 
a year, a basket of fish from the stream dose by instead 
of the usual rent; for he was determined to possess 
absolutely nothing in this world ; nor would he and his 
disciples on any account so much as touch money. 

St. Francis went to Rome in 12 10 to obtain the Pope's 
blessing on the enterprise now clearly de^ed before 
his mind — the establishment of a Religious Order, 
whose members should strive after perfection by the 
most rigid exercise of Evangelical Poverty. He was 
destined to meet with a very keen and mortif)ang dis- 
appointment at the outset, which he endured, however, 
as became a saint. Innocent HI. declined to confirm 
the rule of life which the recluse of Assisi had framed 
for those desiring to become his followers : it seemed 
so far beyond the strength of human nature to suffer 
such painful restraints. But grace remained to be 
considered ; and having been admonished in a vision, 
which revealed St. Francis supporting the Latern 
Basilica on his shoulders, the Pope had him instantly 
recalled ; and now willingly granted his prayer to under- 
take a work so manifestly blessed by God. 

Numbers of eager subjects came to receive the habit 
of the new Order from the Saint's own hands — the 
veritable badge of the Poverty which they were required 
to embrace ; and most closely resembling the coarse 
garb worn by the humblest shepherds m that part 



172 A SECOND THEBAID. 

of Italy. Yet it was the selfsame habit which, several 
centuries afterwards, we find one of our own glorious 
Confessors of the Faith — Cornelius O'Devany, Bishop 
of Down and Connor — reserving as his shroud ; * far 
and away more highly prized than the Episcopal Insignia, 
or any armorial bearings."^ As early as the year 
1 21 2, a young lady of Assisi — now known as St. Clare — 
came to Portiunculla and implored St. Francis to give 
her the veil, in order that she might inaugurate the same 
grand work among women ; from her the Sisterhood 
of " Poor Qares * derives its name. Fully five thousand 
friars attended the first General Chapter of the Order 
of St. Francis, held in the year 1219^ in 1223, the holy 
Founder drew up a summary of the Rule which had 
been confirmed by Pope Honorius III. — a number of 
its statutes binding on the religious under pain of 
mortal sin ; and from that time the Franciscans became 
more popularly known as * Friars Minor." • 

Such the origin of the Order that has given five Popes 
to the Church ; an immense number of Cardinals and 
Bishops; many learned Doctors, among whom St. 
Bonaventure and Dun Scotus are shining lights in 
the Schools ; while the glories achieved by the countless 
other spiritual sons of St. Francis have been recounted 
by Father Luke Wadding — ^the renowned Irish Franciscan 
annalist.' There were fifteen hundred monasteries 
of the Order, and ninety thousand religious in the 
year 1380, the Franciscan missionaries having already 
established themselves in the remotest parts of the 
world. Soon after the death of St. Francis, his successor 
introduced some relaxations affecting certain very 
rigorous chapters of the holy Rule; but a Reform 

1 •« Our Martyrt," p. 247. 

« ^'Histnrt dm Clerg^," vol.iL p. 354 jf .— •• ACatholic Dicdonary," p. 354. 

' " Annales Minorum^* from which Alemand, and other writers derive 
most of their information concerning the Franciscans. The second and 
better known edition was published in Rome, a.d. 1731-45. 



THE ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS. 173 

bearing on these identical points followed almost im- 
mediately, when the friars who still wished to avail 
themselves of the dispensations obtained from the Holy 
See became known as the * Gjnventual Franciscans ; * 
while those desiring to live up to the Primitive Rule 
were called " Observantines,* or * Cordeliers " throughout 
France. In the course of time another Reform was 
introduced among the Franciscans of Spain by John 
of Guadaloupe, whose followers received the title of 
* Grey Friars * or " Recollects," ^A-D. 1 500) ; and yet 
another in the year 1526, inaugurated by Matteo de 
Bassi of Urbino, who did not consider the habit worn 
by his brethren — ^the * Observantines," — ^to be in strict 
conformity with that prescribed by St. Francis : 
the friars in favour of assuming the original long cowl 
are the "Capuchins." 

These various Reforms merely implied a more austere 
mode of life on the part of those adopting them ; but 
each new Congregation had special statutes of its own 
whereby the Rule of St. Francis was either interpreted 
or modified. Then, there were the Tertiaries, or 
members of the Third Order, whom we also find living 
in community here in Ireland long before the time of 
Henry the Eighth. The Capuchins, however, did not 
come to this country until the seventeenth century. 
Some say that the Irish Franciscans — Conventual 
and Observantine — ^had upwards of a hundred monas- 
teries throughout the several provinces, although not 
even the names of many of these foundations are at 
present known. We are, likewise, assured that a com- 
panion of St. Francis himself was the first to introduce 
the Order into Ireland.^ 

Precedence is usually given to the DUBUN^ friary ; but 

^Alemand. p.22isff. 

' Ibidem, p. 2^. Walsh, p. 437.— It is to be regietted thmt we have wetj 
little authentic infonnation concerning the pitctie sites of a anmber ot 
andent monasteries within the cttj of Dublin. 



174 A SECOND THEBAID. 

it seems that tixert were some foundatkms of an earlier 
date. It was through the generosity of Ralph le Porter 
that the site for this monastery was secured about the 
year 1235^ King Henry III.^ also^ contributing largely 
towards the expenses of the pious undertaking. Edward 
I. was another benefactor to the same commtmity 
(A.D. 1293); and a Mayor of Dublin, named Jdin le 
Decer, built a beautiful chapel in honour of Our Lady 
within the adjoining church. After Le Deoer's death 
in 1332, hb body was laid to rest beneath the altar 
which he himself had given to the Blessed Vii^n. So 
great had been this good man's charity, that during 
a famine in the dty he sent three ships to France for 
com to be distributed among the poor. The friars of 
this monastery adopted the Primitive Rule, as followed 
by the Observantines, in the year 1 5 18 ; indeed, we may 
say that the Irish Franciscans generally emulated 
their fervent example about the same time. Three 
Franciscan friars had the glory of dying for the Faith 
in 1588— Fathers John CMoUoy, Q>melius Dogherty, 
and Geoffrey Ferall : Abbeyldx, in the Queen's County, 
being the scene of their execution.^ They may have 
been members of the Dublin community, from whose 
home the present Francis Street is said to derive its 



name. 



T 



A great monastery was erected, * on the banks of 
the Nore," in the dty of Kilkenny,* for the sons of 
St. Frands, A.D. 1234. King Henry III., whom the 
Frandscan annalist calls, * a pious monarch, indeed," was 
a good benefactor to this house, also ; but its origin is, 
in the first instance, attributed to Richard Mareschal, 
Earl of Pembroke, whose death occurred that same 
year, his remains being interred within the doister. The 
church does not appear to have been consecrated until 

• " Our Martyrs," p. 197. ' Walsh, p. 437. 

* Alcmaod, p. 338. " The Irish Fcukcucaa Monasteries " (MeehaD), p. 95. 






THE ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS. 1 75 

1 321 ; the adjoining cemetery ten years later. A terrible 
plague visited Ireland in 1348, one of its victims being 
John Clynne, the famous Franciscan annalist — a con- 
ventual of the Kilkenny friary. He is said to have kept 
his records faithfully to the end : " while awaiting death 
among the dead ; * and doubtful whether " anyone of 
the race of Adam " could escape the dread pestilence 
to continue the work which he himself had begun.^ 
A pious lady^ named Elizabeth Palmer^ had died the 
previous year; to her the friars were indebted for the 
building of part of their choir. In 1374 a number of 
the citizens charged themselves with the keeping ot 
the church in good repair. This sacred edifice was 
richly adorned with choice works of Art; while the 
library of the monastery contained many volumes of 
great value; but everything was seized by the agents 
of King Henry VIII.^ the monastic lands and buildings 
being granted to the Corporation of Kilkenny. 

On the Westmeath side of the town of Athlone^^ 
another large friary was built for the Franciscans in 
the year 1240. Father Luke Wadding, the annalist, 
asserts positively that the * noble Fallons/ lords of 
the territory at the time of the Invasion, were the 
founders ; and this seems most probable, the names 
mentioned by other writers being those of principal 
benefactors: such as Cathal Crovdearg 0'G)nnor and 
Sir Henry Dillon. The buildings had not yet been com- 
pleted when the generous Cathal died ; but the latter lived 
until 1244, three years after the consecration of the 
beautiful church of the monastery by Albert, Archbishop 
of Armagh. The great friary of Multifernan" was 
also in the cotmty Westmeath. It was the gift of 
William Ddamer to St. Francis, A.D. 1304. We are 
told that the buildings were very spacious; and com- 
prised the usual library, guest-house, cloister, dormitory, 

* Wain's " Writers,'* p. 2a >• Alemand, p. 244 if . " ibiden^ p. 246. 



176 A SECOND THEBAID. 

chapter-house, the offices and refectory — ^the whole 
forming a quadrangle which included the church. 
There was always a large community there, each member 
sanctifying himself by prayer and the practice of the 
austere Rule : the Observantine Reform being fervently 
received there in the year 1460. After the Delamers, 
the Nugents were the most generous benefactors to 
this house. Some representatives of the latter family 
even succeeded in purchasing the buildings from the 
king's favourite after the monastery had been suppressed 
by Henry the Eighth ; and a number of the religious 
were permitted to remain on there until the reign of 
Queen Elizabeth, whose soldiers burnt both church 
and friary to the ground, A.D. 1601. In the meantime — 
A.D. 1590-1591 — ^three members of the community 
[Fathers Terence Magennis, Magnus OTodhry, and 
Loughlin Oge MacO'Cadha) had gained the Martyr's 
Crown ; they died from the hardships endured in prison 
for the defence of the Faith." Another friar of Multi- 
fernan has left us a most interesting account of that 
same dread epoch, to which, however, the space at our 
disposal does not admit of lengthy aUusion." There was 
also a foundation of the Conventual Franciscans at 
Dysart^^ in the county Westmeath, not far from the 
town of MuUingar. But the only reference made to 
it is contained in a record of a lawsuit in which the 
Guardian of that house was engaged about the year 1 33 1 . 
The friary at WiCKLOW ** is said to have been the very 
poorest of the Franciscan monasteries in Ireland. It 
was established by the O'Tooles and the O'Byrnes in 
1252 for a community of the Conventuals; but the 
Observantine Reform was introduced there in 1436; 

M "Our Martyrs," p. 199. » Meehan, p. 37. 

>^ Walsh, p. 692. In the county Westmeath, also, there was a friarr of 
the members of the Third Order of St Fra&ds at Killmxchabl, saia to 
have been founded br the Petyt fiunilj.— Walsh, a 697. 

"Walsh, p. 73a 



THE ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS. 177 

the friars being then occupied in the exercise of their 
missionary duties among the people of the surrounding 
mountainous districts^ and in educating the sons of 
their benefactors. A Franciscan writer, who visited 
Wicklow in the year 1615, tells us how grieved he was 
to find the friary converted into a courthouse — the 
very church resounding with the profane uproar, wherein 
formerly voices had been raised only to proclaim the 
praises of the Most High. 

The loss of the records of the Franciscan friary of 
Wexford^* is attributed to the malice of the apostate, who 
had been rewarded for his crime by King Henry the 
Eighth. This house must have been founded as early as 
the year 1240 ; although a much later date is usually 
assigned. The community embraced the Observantine 
Rule in i486. It seems that the friars contrived to remain 
in the neighbourhood after the Suppression ; but in 1649 
we find seven of their successors among the victims 
of the awful massacre which took place in the streets 
of Wexford. These heroic Confessors were Fathers 
John Esmond, Richard Synnott, Paul Synnott, Raymond 
Stafford, Peter Stafford ; and Brothers Didacus Chevers 
and James Rochford. Some were slain while in prayer 
before the Altar ; others in the Confessional ; or as 
they exhorted the people to perseverance in the Faith.^* 
This massacre — including, moreover, two hundred 
women who knelt round the market-cross — was "the 
great mercy* for which Cromwell asked Parliament 
to join with him in thanks to God! Later on four 
other of the Franciscans of Wexford were hanged in 
view of their ruined friary without so much as the 
formality of a trial. The friary of Ross, or Ross-Mic- 
TRIAN,^ county Wexford, was beautifully situated 
on the river Barrow. It was built for the Conventuals by 
Sir John Devereux towards the end of the thirteenth 

" Alemand, p. 234. " " Our Martyrs," p. 315. *• Aichdall, p. 750- 

N 



178 A SECOND THEBAID. 

century, and placed under the invocation of Saint Saviour. 
A certain tax, levied on all ships entering Ross harbour, 
was granted to this community by the founder about 
the year 1300; and when in 1406 the Provost and 
Burghers claimed a similar privilege ** within the Friars' 
bounds," the Franciscans appealed to King Henry IV., 
who confirmed them in their rights, ordering the same 
to be enforced by James, Earl of Ormond, then Lord, 
lieutenant of Ireland. Another Earl of Ormond 
received a grant of all the monastic property at the 
time of the Suppression* Enniscortht ^* is also in 
the county Wexford ; and there Donald Cavanagh, chief 
of his Sept, built a friary for the Franciscans of the 
Strict Observance in the 3^ear 1460. This fact is authen- 
ticated by an entry in a Missal said to have been copied 
in that monastery. But some maintain tiiat the 
foundation had been originally intended for the G>n- 
ventuai Friars. Suppressed during the reign of Henry 
VIII., in the time of Queen Elizabeth it passed into 
the possession of Sir Henry Wallop, one of the most 
ruthless persecutors of the Faithful while Lord Justice 
of Ireland, a.d. i 582-1 584. He it was who suggested 
that the heroic Dermot O'Hurley, Archbishop of Cashd, 
should be taken to London where * a suitable instrument 
of torture * might be found : * the Tower being a better 
school for such than the Castle of Dublin* — ^where 
Wallop was constrained to adopt what he considered 
the too humane punishment of '* toasting* the holy 
G>nfessor's " feet against the fire with hot boots ! * In 
making his formal report on this shocking outrage, 
he did not deem it of sufficient importance to mention 
that the soldiers sent to plunder the friary of Ennisoorthy 
had murdered the Guardian and Sacristan, after having 
jfirst subjected them to barbarous torments, because of 
their loyalty to the Faith, A.D. I582.*^ The monastic 
^ Aleraand, p. 237. Ardkbdl, p. 741. * "State Papers " (Brady), p. 72, sq. 



THE ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS. 1/9 

lands are still in possession of the descendants of Sir 
Henry Wallop.^ 

Mention is made of the three following Franciscan 
monasteries in the county Kildare ; while a fourth — that 
of KiLCULLEN ^ — ^is referred to in an ancient document. 
Ware, also, seems to have been cognizant of the 
existence of this foundation. Lord William de Vesd 
was founder of the friary established at KiLDARB ^ in the 
year 1 260. In 1 320, an important Chapter was held there ; 
and in 1 520, the strict Observance was adopted, and con- 
tinued to be practised fervently by the community until 
th^ suppression of the monastery by Queen Elizabeth. 
The year 1266 is the probable date assigned for the 
building of the friary at Clane •* — a work of piety under- 
taken by Gerald FitzMaurice, Lord of Offaley, who 
chose the choir of the church as his own burial-place. 
Pope Eugene IV. addressed a special Brief to the people 
of Irdand in 1433, exhortii^^ them to assist in the 
restoration of this sacred edifice, which stood in need 
of considerable repairs at the time. The monastery 
at Castledermot,^ said to have derived its name from 
a St. Dermot who was venerated there, bdonged to 
the Conventual Franciscans: Thomas, Lord Offaley, 
being the founder {aj>. 1 302) ; while members of the 
Delahoyde family were among the most liberal friends 
of the friars of this community. The religious 
there had both their house and church plundered 
by the Scotch in 1316 ; a signal defeat, which 
Bruce's soldiers met with in the same place, was 
regarded as the meet penalty of the sacrilegious 
crime. The buildings were eventually restored, 

»"OurMartyrs,"p.i26. "Ware's "Antiquities," p. 79. Meelian,p.93. 
" Alemand, p. 240. 

^^ Alemand, pp. 240-241. AUasion is also made to a Fianciacan 
monastery at Moonb, ooanty Kildare, where the ruins of the church are 
still to be seen.— Walsh, p. 489.— And in the Queen's County there was a 
friary built at Stradbally for the Conventual Franciscans during the 
twelfth century by •* The O'Mona." Walsh, p. O20. 



l8o A SECOND THEBAID. 

and a beautiful Lady-chapel erected in the church 
by Thomas, Earl of Kildare (a.d. 1328). Parliament 
was convened in the great hall of this monastery in the 
year 1499, when an Act was passed relating to the conduct 
of "ladies,* who appeared in public on horseback — 
a penalty being imposed for each violation of the new 
statute. 

As for the Kilcullen friary, it is ascribed to Rowland 
FitzEustace, Lord Treasurer of Ireland, who died in 
1496, some ten years after his having thus proved himself 
so good a benefactor to the sons of St. Francis. It 
seems that on the arrival of Cardinal Pole in England 
during the reign of Queen Mary (A.D. ISS3), the Prelate 
received a petition from the Guardian of the Franciscan 
community expelled by the royal agents from the 
friary at Kilcullen six years previously, imploring his 
influence with those then in authority to have this 
and several other Irish monasteries restored to the Order. 
The L^ate willingly complied, and secured the favour 
sought ; but the Franciscans of Kilcullen had to flee to 
the woods and mountains again on the accession of 
Queen Elizabeth. Before doir^ so, however, they 
are said to have taken down the great bell from the 
tower, and buried it in a safe place ; fearing lest, other- 
wise, it should be forged into cannon by the English, 
waging, at the time, so cruel a war against the Faithful 
of Ireland. 

KiLLEiGH,** in the King's Q)unty, was formerly a 
place of much importance : among the monastic in- 
stitutions established there special reference is made 
to a Franciscan friary, founded by a member of the 
O'Connor family during the reign of King Edward the 
First. The Guardian of this house—Father Donald 
O'Bruin— was appointed Bishop of Clonmacnoise in 
the year 1303. There was another monastery of the 
« ^ » Aichdall, pp. 400, 403, 579. 



THE ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS. l8l 

Order of St. Francis at a place called MONISTERORAS,^^ 
near Edenderry in the same county, erected in 1395 
for a community of the Conventual Franciscans by 
John de Birmingham, Earl of Louth. The walls of 
the various buildings being so strongly constructed, 
this monastery was for a long time used as a fortress 
during the wars of the sixteenth century. But at length 
a man named Nicholas Herbert got possession of the 
monastic property. 

Some say that the Franciscan friary of Trim,** county 
Meath, was built by King John ; others give the credit 
of the good work to the Plunket family, ancestors of 
the Earls of Fingal. The Observantine Rule was re- 
ceived by this community in 1325 ; five years afterwards 
a great part of the monastery fell down, the walls having 
been undermined by the waters of the Boyne over- 
flowing their banks. For some time after the 
Suppression, the church was used as a court-house ; 
while the lands were parcelled out among the Protestant 
clergymen living in the immediate neighbourhood. 
Archdall says that it was dedicated to St. Bonaventure. 
A Father Richard Plunkett — probably a descendant 
of the original founders — passed part of his zealous 
career as a conventual of this monastery ; he is said 
to have compiled a very valuable Irish Dictionary. 

G>ncerning the friary established for the Franciscans 
at Ardagh,** county Longford, we are merely told that 
St. John the Baptist was its Patron ; and that it was 
occupied by a community of the ObserVantines in 
the year 1521. The members of the Third Order of 
St. Francis, also, had a monastery in the county Longford 
at Ballynasaggard,"^ founded for them by the O'Ferrall 
family. And Wadding states that Cornelius O'Brien, 
of the royal house of Limerick, built a spacious friary 
for the Franciscans at Balegruaircy," in the diocese 

» " Aleitiand, pp. 247-252. Walsh, p. 535. 



1 82 A SECOND THEBAID. 

of Ardagh, a.d. 1518. After the lands and buildings 
had passed into the possession of heretics, the Faithful 
of the neighbourhood were still suffered to bury their 
dead within the ruined church on payment of a 
fee to the apostate who claimed the monastic 
property. 

According to Wadding, also, the monastery established 
for the same Order at Youghal,** county Cork, by 
Maurice FitzGeraid — ^a.d. 1230, or 1231 — (others 
assign the year 1224 as the date of the foundation), was 
the mother-house of the Franciscans in Ireland. The 
pious founder was himself cTothed in the habit of St. 
Francis there, after having discharged the high office 
of Lord Chief Justice : he died in 1257, and was interred 
within the Sctcred edifice. There, too, his son Thomas 
was buried in 1260, having proved himself a good 
benefactor to the friars during life, enabling them 
to complete both church and monastery. Chapters 
were held here occasionally ; and the strict Observance 
having been adopted in 1460, successive generations 
<rf the friars transmitted the traditions of great fervour 
until the time of Queen Elizabeth, when not a wall 
of the magnificent buildings was left standing intact. 
Two members of the community underwent martyrdom 
in testimony of their Faith and Profession : one, Father 
Daniel O'Duillian, A.D. 1569 ; the other, Father Daniel 
O'Neilan, who suffered at Youghal in 1580."* The 
Franciscan monastery in Cork city,** more popularly 
known as " The Grey Abbey," was a tribute of Dermot 
MacCarthy Reagh's devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 
and of his esteem for the Conventual Friars (; A.D. 1231). 
After his death, his son Finian became an equally 
generous friend to the same community. Owing to 
some unexplained cause, this monastery had to be rebuilt 
in the year 1240— a work gladly undertaken by Philip 

" " Oar Martyrs," pp. 91 -i 1 1. •• Alemand, p. 249. Archdall, p. 66. 



THE ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS. I83 

Prcndergast to whom Kings Henry III., and Edward I. 
lent their royal aid. The Rule of St. Francis, in all 
its primitive rigour, was accepted by the members of 
the community in the year 1500; and there is, also, 
the record of an important Ch^ter having been 
hdd here in 1291. This friary was known, moreover, 
as " the Mirror of Ireland," because of the zeal ot the 
religious in their holy vocation: indeed, it was their 
renown for holiness that caused many noble families 
of Mimster — amongst others the illustrious Desmonds — 
to choose a last resting-place for their dead in that church 
of the Franciscans, or in some part of the sacred en- 
closure. A man named Andrew Skydie got possession 
of all the monastic property early in the reign of 
Queen Elizabeth. 

Besides these two friaries, there were six other founda^ 
tions of the Order in the county G>rk : those of 
TlUOLEAGUE^ and Ejlcrea,^ claiming special notice 
by reason of their most interesting historical associations. 
The monastery of Kilcrea was a superb structure, and 
occupied a charming site on the river Bride ; it was a 
striking proof of the love which Girmac MacCarthy, 
Lord of Muskerry, had for St. Brigid (aj>. 1465). The 
founder's tomb — ^he died in 1495 — was dose to the High 
Altar; the Barretts also and other ancient bunilies 
interred their dead at Kilcrea, erecting many fine 
monuments there. Indeed, both church and friary 
are said to have been adorned by exquisite works of Art. 
An apostate MacCarthy was allowed to seize the lands 
and buildings at the Suppression on condition that he 
would never suffer the friars to return ; or receive the 
Catholics as his tenants. When the members of this 
community were trying to escape from their persecutors 
in the year 1590, one of them — an aged priest named 
Father Matthew O'Leyne — ^failed in his attempt to 
* ** Alemand, p. 254. Ibidem. 



184 A SECOND THEBAID. 

ford the River Bride, and so fell into the hands of the 
soldiers who instantly put him to a barbarous death. 
During the reign of King James I., an effort was made 
to restore the ruins of Kilcrea for the sons of St. Francis ; 
but that monarch, himself the child of a devout Catholic 
mother, persecuted the Faithful of Ireland as ruthlessly 
as his predecessor ; and in Cromwell's time we find the 
lands and buildings in the hands of Lord Broghill — 
the Protector's special fetvourite. Among the many 
distinguished members of this community, particular 
mention is made of Father Thaddeus O'Sullivan, 
a renowned Franciscan preacher. 

The friary of Timoleague was considered one of the 
grandest houses of the Order in Ireland. It dated, most 
probably, from the year 1320, and had for its founder 
Daniel MacCarthy, Prince of Carbery; although some 
writers would attribute the merit of this good work 
to William Barry, lord of Ibawn, who, they say, under- 
took so praiseworthy a task towards the end of the same 
century. The Observantine Rule was adopted there 
in 1400; and Provincial Chapters held in 1536, and 
in 1563. A Franciscan Bishop of Ross — ^Edmund de 
Courcy — always took the deepest interest in this 
monastery, the greater part of which had been rebuilt 
by his own nephew, James, lord of Kinsale. The soldiers 
sent to sack Timoleague at the Suppression were guilty 
of revolting cruelty to such members of the community 
as fell into their hands ; while their efforts to destroy 
the beautiful buildings — ^leading off from the cloister 
with its many graceful arches — ^afford a painful evidence 
of the spirit of vandalism that animated the heretical 
plunderers of those times.*^ 

Very little is known concerning the remaining friaries 
of the Franciscan Order in the county Cork. That of 

^See "Irish Franciscan Monasteries'' — Timoleagae and Kilcrea. 
(Meehan.) 



THE ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS. 1 85 

BUTTEVANT " was dedicated to St. Thomas, the Martyr ; 
and was founded by David Oge Barry, Lord Buttevant, 
in the year 1290. Bantry" monastery was built for 
the Conventual Friars in 1307 by Dermot O'Sullivan 
Beare. Two members of this community were slain 
by the heretics of the sixteenth century (a.D. 1380): 
the one a celebrated preacher, Father Tadhg Donald ; 
and his heroic companion, Father John Hanly. A 
member of the Barry family is said to have been the 
founder of the Franciscan friary at CASTLELyoNS,*^^ 
which probably dated from sometime in the fourteenth 
century. Not many writers seem to have been aware 
of the existence of a house of the same Order at 
iNNlSfflRCAN, or INIS-KIERAN,*^ county Q)rk. It owed 
its origin to the piety of the generous O'Driscols (A.D, 
1460), who built both church and friary for a community 
of the Observantines. This monastery, among the other 
buildings on the island of Inis-Kieran, was destroyed 
by the English inhabitants of Waterford in 1588 when 
daily expecting the arrival of the dreaded Spanish 
Armada. But the religious had been driven from 
their home there at a much earlier date (a.d. 1537). 
The first Guardian of the friaiy of Carricbeg,** county 
Waterford, was Father John Qynne — ^that renowned 
Irish annalist^ whose death occurred at Kilkenny 
during the awful plague. This house was dedicated 
to St. Michael, being the munificent grift of James, 
Earl of Ormond, to the Conventual Franciscans about 
the year 1 336, or, perhaps, a little later, as some maintain. 
Although not very spacious, the buildings were sub- 
stantial, and beautifully situated amid the lands granted 
to the community. Earl Thomas of Ormond got pos- 
session of all the monastic property in the time 
of Henry VIII., as a proof of that monarch's favour. 

» » Walsh, p. 384. • Alemand, p. 258. 

*»« Walsh, pp. 392, 6Sa 



1 86 A SECOND THEBAID. 

In the dty of Waterford <■ the Conventual Friars had 
a foundation for which they held themselves indebted 
to Lord Hugh PurceD, who died the very year this 
monastery was built, A.D. 1240, and was buried within 
the precincts of the newly-erected church. Among 
the benefactors of this friary were two English Kings, 
Henry III. and Edward I. Important Chapters were 
held there in 1317 and 1469 ; and in 1521 the community 
embraced the Observantine Reform : the next event 
chronicled being the seizure of the monastery by the 
agents of King Henry VIII. We read, moreover, that 
two of the religious had been raised to the Episcopate, 
and governed the See of Waterford : R(^r Cradock 
in 1350, and Richard Martin in 1472. William de 
Waterford — a distinguished member of the Order, 
who most ably refuted the errors of the Wickliffites — 
passed part of his life as a member of this community. 
The Franciscans contrived to remain in Waterford 
long after the Suppression; but in constant peril of 
their lives. In the year 161 5 they held their Chapter 
in a private house there, electing Father Mooney 
Superior of the Irish Province. Before entering the 
Order, the new Provincial had served as a soldier in 
the army of the Earl of Desmond ; still his career as a 
friar was quite as full of thrilling incident as his life 
in camp had been during the great war waged in Ireland 
for freedom and the Faith. He himself has left us a 
most interesting account of what he witnessed in the 
exercise of his missionary labours. Father Purcell — 
another Irish Franciscan — taking down the entrancing 
narrative from the aged exile's lips.** It was Father 
Mooney who had also predicted the future fame of 
Luke Wadding, a child at the time dwelling with his 
parents in Waterford. 

« Alemand, p. 24S. Wabh, p. 687. 

^ " The Franciscan Monasteries of Ireland " (Meehan). 



THE ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS. 187 

Donagn Cairbreach O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, 
founded a magnificent monastery for the Conventiial 
Friars at Ennis,** county Qare, in 1240— soon after 
he had chosen Qonroad for his own residence. But 
he died in 1242, before the buildings were completed ; 
so that his son Conor had the privilege of perfecting 
the work as a testimony of filial devotion to his royal 
father's memory. Several other Princes of Thomond 
were benefactors to this house; especially Dermot 
O'Brien, who, finally, took the habit there, edifying 
the community by his virtues until his holy death in the 
year 1 3 1 3. The Franciscans of Ennis were included among 
• the Irish enemy without the Pale " ; which implied 
(not to speak of other restrictions) the necessity of their 
first obtaining the express permission of the English King 
before they might pass the forbidden bounds to purchase 
food for the starving people during the terrible famine 
of the year 1375. At the instance of Murrogh O'Brien 
the friars of Ennis adopted the Observantine Rule in 
1 540, when, as the annalist assures us, the Franciscans 
in other parts of Ireland, particularly in Ulster, were 
being martyred because of their loyalty to the Faith 
and the monastic profession. This monastery, however, 
appears to have been spared until 1577 ; and then it was 
seized and plundered by Queen Elizabeth's ruthless 
agents, the friary itself being converted into a barrack, 
and the church into a temporary court-house. 

The first of the Irish Franciscan monasteries to receive 
a comimunity of the Observantines was that of QuiN,** 
which lies a few miles to the east of Ennis. It was built 
by a member of the MacNamara family in 1350, and 
restored for the Observantines about the year 1423, 
with the approval of Pope Eugene the Fourth : a work 
of charity undertaken by another of the MacNamaras, 
whose tomb may still be seen within the ruins — ^to which 
• Walsh, p. 373. • " Our Martyn," p. 100. s^. 



l88 A SECOND THEBAID. 

the friary was reduced in 1583 by the soldiers of Queen 
Elizabeth. The apostate Turlough O'Brien was not 
ashamed to share in the sacrilegious plunder. An effort 
was made by the Catholics of the district in 1604 to 
restore the sacred edifice^ at least; and they partially 
succeeded ; but little sign of the fruits of their self- 
sacrifiGe remained after tl^e visit of the Cromwellian 
vandals to Quin. 

It is probable that the Franciscans had two houses 
in the city of LIMERICK ^^ : one on King's Island, dating 
from the year 1293 ; the other was built at Irishtown 
by O'Brien of Thomond during the reign of Henry 
the Third. A Franciscan Bishop of Cashd, named 
Torington, had always the welfare of this community 
dearly at heart. He was a very distinguished Prelate, 
known and esteemed in various Courts of Europe. When 
returning through London from a visit to Pope Urban 
VL, he severely censured, in presence of King Richard H., 
the conduct of Charles VL of France; because the French 
monarch had favoured the pretensions of the anti-pope 
Clement the Seventh. A few years before his death, 
which occurred in 1380, he successfully defended the 
Franciscans of Limerick in some matter of dispute with 
the Bishop of that diocese. The Observantine Reform 
was introduced into both the Limerick monasteries in 
1534, about ten years before their suppression by King 
Henry VHL It is recorded that several of the 
Franciscans of Limerick were slain by the heretics in 
1570. Only the names of Father Dermot O'Mulrony, 
and a Brother Thomas are mentioned ; but it is certain 
that they had as a companion in suffering at least one 
other member of the Order : the three having been 
seized in the friary of Galbally, county Tipperary. 
Patrick O'Hely-^Bishop of Mayo (now united to the 
Archdiocese of Tuam) — and Father Cornelius O'Rourke, 
Archdall, p. 416. 



THE ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS. 1 89 

both zealous sons of St. Francis, met with a like glorious 
fate in the year 1578, somewhere near the city of 
Limerick.** 

It is said that the monastery of Adare,** in the county 
Limerick, was the most beautiful of the Franciscan 
houses in Munster. The principal benefactors of this 
community were Thomas, Earl of Kildare ; and his 
wife Joanna — daughter of James, Earl of Desmond, 
executed in Drogheda (A.D. 1467) because of his S3mi- 
pathies with the " mere Irish.* St. Michael was the 
Patron chosen on the occasion of the foundation-stone 
being laud, a.d. 1464 ; the consecration of the church 
took place two years later on. The Earl of Kildare 
died in 1478, and was interred there ; his wife's remains 
being laid in the same vault in i486. There were 
many generous benefactors of this community; some 
of these charitable friends gave costly presents of sacred 
vesseb and vestments, while others helped to complete 
the buildings. This friary was destroyed during the 
wars which the English waged against the Earl of 
Desmond ; and eventually the monastic property went 
to enrich the notorious Sir Henry Wallop in the reign 
of Queen Elizabeth. The friary of ASKEATON*^ was 
another of the foundations made for the Conventual 
Franciscans in the county Limerick (|A.D. 1420), 
Established by James, the seventh Earl of Desmond, 
it was reformed by the Observantines in the year 1496. 
A Chapter was held at Askeaton in 1564, a short 
time before its seizure by Queen Elizabeth's agents. 
One of the members of this community— Tadhg O'Daly, 
a native of Kinvara, county Galway— was put to death 
by the heretics in 1579; and in 1587, Fathers John 
Cornelius and Walter Ferall — friars of the same monas- 
tery — also died in defence of Catholic Truth. It appears 

« •( Our Maityrt," p. 100^ sff. * ArchdaU, p. 416. 

''Aleinand, p. 263. Walsh, p. 523. 



IgO A SECOND THEBAID. 

that sometime during the seventeenth century the re- 
mains of Dr. Patrick O'Hdy and Comdius O'Rourke^ 
those two heroic Irish Confessors of the Order of St. 
Francis, were removed to Askeaton, and interred there 
together with the instruments of their torture. In the 
county Limerick, also, according to several writers, 
the QanGibbon family built a monastery for the 
G>nventual Friars at a place caQed Ballynabrahir,*^ 
during the course of the thirteenth century. 

The friary founded for Franciscans at Cashel,^ county 
Tipperary, by Sir William Racket in the reign of King 
John, became more popularly known as '^ Racket Abbey." 
It seems to have been a splendid edifice ; and in 1331 
Pope John XXII. granted a special Indulgence to all 
who should contribute towards the completion of one 
of the chapds in the adjoining church. We also 
find that Pope Urban VI. empowered the Guardian 
of this community to excommunicate anyone in Munster 
convicted of upholding the pretensions of the anti-pope 
Qement the Seventh. The Observantine Rule was 
introduced in the year 1538 ; but soon the friars were 
driven forth by order of Renry VIII., and their home 
and the monastic lands granted for ever to the Protestant 
Archbishop intruded into the See of Cashd. And now 
only a few ruined walls remain to remind us of the 
after fatte of the once well-known * Racket Abbey.* •• 

"^ Archdall, p. 418. " Ibidem, p. 651. " Lewis, toL L» p. 288. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE FRANCISCANS.— (C7«tf»««/.) 

After Cashel, the friary of Clonmel ^ was, probably, 
the most important foundation made for the Franciscans 
in the county Tipperary. There are various opinions 
as to its origin ; but Father Luke Wadding claims the 
credit of this good work for the Desmond family assisted 
by the people of the town of Qonmd, who appear 
to have had great devotion to St. Francis. The date 
assigned is the year 1269. We are told that the church 
was one of the most beautiful in Ireland, and contained 
some very fine memorials to the dead : a miraculous 
statue of St. Francis was also preserved there, which 
the devout Faithful hdd in highest veneration. The 
Rule of the Observantines was followed by the community 
from the year 1536 ; but the fervour of the friars could 
not save them from the royal avarice during the reigns 
of Henry the Eighth and Queen Elizabeth ; and only 
the ruins of the monastery and church were to be seen 
even in the year 1615. There was another great friary 
of the Order at Nenagh,' in the same county : indeed, 
some writers assure us that it was the grandest of all 
the Irish Franciscan monasteries. It was built either 
by the Butlers or the O'Kennedys during the reign of 
King Henry the Third. This was the house chosen 
for the Provincial Chapter of 1344,— the only interesting 
record mentioned by the annalists until the year 1 352, 
under which date they chronicle the death and burial 
of Lord Thomas de Cantwdl, a generous benefactor of 
* Alemaad, p. 264. * Ibidem, p. 266. 



192 A SECOND THEBAID. 

the friars of Nenagh. As the monastery was burned 
down in 1550^ the buildings could hardly have been 
completely restored before they were seized and bestowed 
upon one of Queen Elizabeth's favourites. Four 
other Franciscan friaries are said to have been established 
in the county Tipperary : Ardfinan,* of which bare 
mention is made ; RoscREA/ built in 1490 by Bibiana, 
widow of Mulruany O'Carroll ; the friary of Galbally/ 
which^ more properly^ should have been included among 
the foundations made in the county Limerick — ^was 
yet another proof of the devotion of the O'Brien family 
to the Order of St. Francis ; and KiLLlNENALLAH friary,* 
founded, according to Ware^ sometime during the reign 
of King Henry the Fourth. 

The friary of Irrelagh/ county Kerry, now so well 
known as ** Muckross Abbey," was founded in 1430 by 
the MacCarthy Mor, Prince of Desmond, on a charming 
site by the Eastern shore of Loch-Lein — ^the Lake of 
Killarney. It was that pious Prince's son Donald who 
completed the buildings in the year 1440, formally 
placing the church under the invocation of the Blessed 
Trinity; in the course of time many beautiful monu- 
ments were erected there by the noble families of the 
surrounding districts. After the friars had been driven 
thence eventually by the soldiers of ICing Henry 
Vin. several of them received the Martyr's crown ; 
while in 1580, the venerable sacristan of the same 
monastery also laid down his life for the Faith.^ A 
small community of the Franciscans made an effort 
to re-establish themselves at Muckross in 1602; but 
it was not until the year 1626 that another attempt 
in this respect proved more successful, when Father 
Thaddeus Holan and several other friars took up their 
abode there, enjoying the peace of that holy retreat 

*!' Walsh, pp. 656, 674, 52S. Alemsnd, p. 267. 
* "Antiquities," p. 106. Valsh,p. 474. * "Oar Martyrs," pp. 194, Z12. 




4^ 



THE FRANCISCANS. 193 

which was to be so cruelly interrupted by the Piuitan 
persecution. One of the most treasured possessions 
of this monastery was a miraculous statue of the Blessed 
Virgin, of which particular mention is made. Not- 
withstanding the vandalism of the Cnxnwellian soldiers 
during the siege of Ross Castle, the remains of Muckross 
Abbey are still extremely interesting, and form a most 
picturesque sight as approached from the lovely lake. 
In the same county, we have the Franciscan friary 
of Ardfert,' erected in 1253 by Thomas, Lord of Kerry. 
This nobleman is said to have been the Rrst to assume the 
name of FitzMaurice. He died in the year 1280 ; 
and one of his descendants — ^Desideria, daughter of 
Gerald FitzMaurice — ^was very charitable towards the 
members of this community (a.D. 1354). The Obscr- 
vantine Rule was adopted in 1518 ; but long before the 
close of the same century the friary was plundered 
and ruined by the unscrupulous agents of Henry the 
Eighth. In this county also, O'Connor, Prince of 
Kerry, founded a house for the Observantines at 
LlSLAGHTlN.i^^ A.D. 1 464. All the monastic property 
passed into the hands of a man named Scolls at the 
Suppression. Daniel Hinrechan, Philip O'Shea, and 
Maurice O'Scanlan — ^three aged priests, members of 
the same community — ^were captured by the heretics 
in the year 1580, and beaten to death before the High 
Altar of the Franciscan church at Lislaghtin. 

In the West of Ireland, the Franciscans had a grand 
monastery at Clare-Galway," founded by John de 
Cogan, A.D. 1290. Thomas, Lord Athenry, made a 
gift of land to this community in order that the profits 
derived from the same might be devoted to the purpose 
of buying the breads, and wine and wax candles required 
in the celebration of the Sacred Mysteries. Suppressed 

» Wabh, p. 472. " Wtlih, p. 474. 

^ Alemtnd, p. 370. Walsb, p. 451. 

A 



194 A SECOND THEBAID. 

by Henry VIII., this friary was finally granted to Sir 
Richard de Burgh by Queen Elizabeth. Some of the 
religious were to be found near the ruins for many years : 
in 1641 an effort was made to restore the sacred edifice, at 
least; but the authorities interfered. Indeed, so late 
as the year 1765, the Protestant Bishop of Meath bitterly 
complained that the remains of this ancient monastery 
were still used as 'a Romish Mass House." Several 
writers are inclined to think that this foundation should 
be identified with Boileau-Clair," in the same county, 
yet offer no reason for their assertion. Those who 
maintain that the latter friary was quite distinct from 
the monastery at Clare-Galway, merely inform us that 
Boileau-Qair was established about the same time — 
towards the end of the thirteenth century. There 
was another great Franciscan friary on the Island 
of St. Stephen, close to the city of Galway," founded 
in 1296 by Sir William de Burg — surnamed ** The Grey * 
— ^who was himself interred there, having died in 1324. 
During the troublous times of the anti-pope Qement 
VII., we find that the Guardian of the Gal way com- 
munity received special faculties from Pope Urban 
VI. to excommunicate those who should favour the 
pretensions of that aspirant to the Tiara. The names 
of many of the benefactors of this house have been 
handed down to us, among whom were the Frenches, 
the De Burgs, and the O'Flaherties. Maurice O'Fihiley— 
called " Flos Mundi," by reason of his marvellous learning 
— ^was a conventual of the Galway monastery before 
his elevation to the Archiepiscopal See of Tuam in 
1506. He died among his brethren there in 15 13, 
having assisted at the Fifth Lateran Council the preceding 
year. Two of his successors in the See of St. Jarlath — 
Thomas O'Mullaly and Christopher Bodkin — ^were, in 
the course of time, laid to rest by his side. When this 

^ Ibidem. ^ Alemand, p. 268. 



THE FRANCISCANS. 195 

friary was eventually suppressed, the citizens of Galway 
got possession of the monastic lands ; while the church 
and buildings were bestowed upon a man, who, strange 
to say, proved a true and generous friend of the plundered 
Franciscans. It was only in the year 1603, lifter Sir 
George Carew had seized the monastery in the name 
of King James the First, that the sacred edifice became 
desecrated, the High Altar being transformed into 
a bench " for a bloated judge, entirely ignorant of the 
language and customs of the people ; ** the pulpit used 
as a witness-box, and a crowd of " bawling lawyers * 
occup3nng the choir and chancel." It is quite probable 
that some, if not all, of the six heroic sons of St. Frajids — 
Roger Donnellan, Charles Goran, Peter O'Chillian, 
Patrick O'Kenna, James Pillan and Roger O'Hanlon, 
who had laboured so zealously in discharge of their 
missionary duties throughout Connaught before their 
holy death in 1582 — spent some time in the Galway 
monastery." 

Even at the present day the ruins of the Franciscan 
friary founded at Kilconnell," county Galway, in the 
year 13531 evince the grandeur of the original structure. 
Indeed, according to an annalist of the Order, who 
wrote early in the seventeenth century, this monastery 
seemed to have been preserved by a special providence 
when all the other houses of the Irish Franciscans were 
plundered and destroyed. It was built by William O'Kelly, 
of the O'Kellys of Hy-Many, for a community of the 
Conventual Friars ; the site chosen being at onre 
convenient and picturesque. The walls were all of finely 
cut stone ; and the workmanship — so admirable in every 
detail — could hardly be excelled : an assertion that will 
appeal to those who have beheld the beautiful tower, 
and what remains of the spacious church and cloister. 

"* Archdall (Dublin, 1876), vol. ii, p. 210. >• " Our Martyrs," p. 125. 
" Archdall, vol. ii., p. 217 ^. 



196 A SECOND TIIEBAID. 

Considerable additions were made to several of the mon- 
astic buildings by Malachy O'Kelly, who also succeeded 
in having the Observantine Rule introduced there in 
the year 1460. The interior of the church was elaborately 
adorned, and contained a number of handsome altars 
and monuments erected by the principal families of the 
West of Ireland ; while in later times tombs and mural 
tablets were raised there to the memory of those ** Trans- 
planters" — ^victims of the Cromwdlian adventurers. 
This monastery was made the head-quarters of the 
ruthless Sir Richard Bingham (whom Queen Elizabeth 
herself had to rebuke for his barbarous treatment of the 
Irish) during his stay in that part of Connaught. Never- 
theless, we are informed that after the Suppression he 
treated the friars of Kilconndl with unwonted leniency 
and kindness ; and prevented his soldiers injuring the 
church in any way. But in the year 1596, the troops 
under Sir Conyers Qifford wrought fearful havoc there ; 
although their captain — ^named Stryck — succeeded in 
saving the monastery from total ruin. This Stryck was, 
also, well disposed towards the community, allowing the 
religious to occupy some of the cells, and even to say 
Mass privately in the sacristy. When the buildings and 
lands were finally confiscated, they fell into the hands of 
a royal favourite called Callthorp, who dealt most harshly 
with the friars. Still a number of them remained in the 
neighbourhood all through the Penal Times — seeking 
refuge in a dangerous bog after the battle of Aughrim 
— until well into the eighteenth century : always be- 
friended by the descendants of the O'Kdlys and the 
other ancient families, benefactors of the Franciscans 
who had first come to Kilconnell. 

Another very important Franciscan foundation in the 
county Galway was the friary of St. Michael at AXHENRY," 
of which, however, no mention is made in the useful list 

^"^ Alcmand, p. 2S4. Lewis, vol i, p. 83. 



THE FRANCISCANS. I97 

furnished us by Burke. Some of the ruins are still to 
be seen close to the Protestant church, in the building of 
which certain modem vandals did not spare the hallowed 
remains of the ancient monastery. The year 1464 is the 
date assigned for the establishment of this house, Thomas^ 
Earl of Kildare, bestowing the generous gift on a com- 
munity of the Obseryantines in honour of the Archangel 
Michael, to whom the Faithful of Ireland appear to have 
always had a special devotion. But the buildings were 
not completed during the life-time of the pious founder ; 
his countess — the lady Margaret Gibbon — continued the 
good work, however, and erected one of the side-chapels 
within the sacred edifice. Her example was followed by 
the Earl of Desmond, who undertook to build a second 
chapel ; while a member of the OTuUy family gladly 
became responsible for a third. Raymond de Burgh, the 
Observantine Bishop of Emly, who died in 1562, was 
interred within the cloister of this friary, which was at 
length suppressed by command of Queen Elizabeth. 

The learned Ferrall MacEgan, Provincial of the Irish 
Franciscans in 1572, often spoke of the friary of ROSSER- 
jLLyis — about eight miles from the town of Tuam — as 
the "Thebaid of the Order." Although situated amid 
dreary bogs and marshes, the buildings were very beau- 
tiful and spacious, as may still be seen from the ruins, 
testifying to an unknown benefactor's munificence : no 
mention is made of the founder's name; but the year 
1 35 1 is definitely assigned as the date of the establish- 
ment of this monastery. An Englishman obtained pos- 
session of the land> and buildings from the agents of 
Queen Elizabeth ; and his avarice extended not alone to 
the sacred vessels and vestments, but even to the rifling 
of the tombs of those interred within the monastic 
enclosure. After a little while, however — chiefly owing 

^* ArcbdAll, p. 296 (Lord Granard is said to have been the founder, A.r>. 
1498.) Alcmand, p. 2S5. Archdall (Ed 1876), toI. ii., p. 294. 



198 A SECOND THEBAID. 

to the good offices of a worthy Earl of Clanricarde— a 
small community of six priests and two lay-brothers 
were permitted to reside in the monastery ; but even- 
tually they became the victims of the bigotry of Daniel, 
the Protestant Archbishop of Tuam. This house is not 
to be identified with the friary of Ross," also in the 
Archdiocese of Tuam, built for a community of the 
Conventual Friars in the year 1431, and reformed by 
the Observan tines in 1470. 

The De Burghs are said to have established a smsill 
monastery for the sons of St. Francis at Kenalehan,** 
also in the county Galway, sometime during the four- 
teenth century. The adjoining church appears to have 
been a large and handsome edifice ; and after it had been 
burned down together with the other monastic buildings 
by Sir Richard Bingham, the work of restoration was 
speedily undertaken by the Clanricardes — ^against whom 
the Franciscan annalist had but one grave fault to allege : 
they, like most of the Anglo-Irish families, always favoured 
the English in preference to the devoted people of Ireland. 
Richard de Burgh was then (a.d. 1604) Earl of Clan- 
ricarde ; but was more popularly known as " Richard 
of Kinsale," because of his loyalty during the siege of 
that town by the Spaniards. This same year the remains 
of the gallant Bryan Oge O'Rourke — son of Bryan-na- 
Murtha O'Rourke, who died for the Faith in London after 
enduring a cruel persecution on account of the charitable 
aid which he had afforded to some survivors from the 
Spanish Armada — ^were interred in the Franciscan 
church at Kenalehan. There were other houses of 
the Order in the county Galway at Enaghdune," 
Sleushan-Cogh,** and Teagh-Saxon" ; concerning which 
foundations, however, nothing is known with exception 
of Teagh-Saxon friary, built by one of the Bourkes for 
Franciscan Tertiaries sometime during the reign of 

^•* Archdall, pp. 296-293 (Ed. i876„ vol. ii., p. 224. 



THE FRANCISCANS. I99 

Henry the Seventh, and granted at the Suppression to 
the municipal authorities of Athenry. Teagh-Saxon is 
only about two miles distance from that town ; and, as 
the name implies, became a place of considerable impor- 
tance after the Anglo-Norman and Saxon invasion of 
Ireland. It is probable that the site of this monastery had 
previously been occupied by an ancient abbey completely 
destroyed by lightning in the year 1 177. Mention is cilso 
made of a Franciscan friary on the largest of the ISLES 
OF Arran,** dating from 1485 ; and of one at Meelick,"* 
erected on a charming spot by the river Shannon, and 
owing its origin to the O'Maddens about the beginning 
of the thirteenth century. Meelick was plundered by 
William de Burgo when he invaded Connaught in 1203 ; 
it passed into the hands of the Earl of Clanricarde at the 
dissolution of the Irish monasteries. The O' Maddens 
founded another friary for the Franciscans at a place 
called Clochin-Cantualaig,* early in the fifteenth cen- 
tury ; and it seems that there was a monastery of the 
Order of St. Francis at Fallig,^ too, established there in 
1390 by a pious Irishman, from whom the place derived 
its name. 

Burke does not include in his list of the Franciscan 
monasteries founded in the county Galway the houses 
established for the members of the Third Order ; 
yet it appears that these, likewise, were extremely 
important friaries. There were as many as fifty 
foundations of this kind throughout the country, 
the homes of fervent religious who led a most 
mortified life, visiting the sick and dying, and training 
the young in the sciences and classics, as well as in the 
principles of the true Faith : " so that the mere 
peasant lads were as familiar with Virgil, Horace 
and Homer as with the genealogies of the Milesian 
Kings." Most of these friaries were built during the 

"-" Walsh, pp. 454-469. Ibidem, 450, 466^ 451. 



200 A SECOND THEBAID. 

course of the fifteenth century ; and the authors, without 
exception, are loud in praise of the splendid service 
rendered to the Irish Church by the Franciscan Ter- 
tiaries of that epoch, and in subsequent times. Still we 
find but passing allusion to the following foundations 
made for Friars of the Third Order in the county Galway: 
Clonkeen," built by Thomas O'Kelly, Bishop of Qonfert 
(A.D. 1435); CLOONyVORNAGE— A.D. 144^ *• ; TEMPLE- 
MOYLE— A.D. I44I •• ; KiLTUIXAGH— A.D. I44I •^ ; BEAGH 

—A.D. 1441 " ; KiLBOUGHT •», where Matthew Macreagh, 
Bishop of Qonfert, died in 1 507, and which is said to 
have owed its origin to the Waley family ; and KlLUNB- 
BONDINA — ^A.D. 1428.** Some writers add the friary of 
KiLCORBAN — A.D. 1446,** founded by Thomas de Burgh, 
Bishop of Qonfert ; others, however, maintain that 
this house belonged to a community of Dominican 
Tertiaries. 

There was certainly a very important monastery of the 
Order of St. Francis in the town of Roscx)MMON,** founded 
in tlie year 1 269, but destroyed by fire soon afterwards ; 
still the authors generally do not appear to have been 
aware of the existence of this friary. And in the county 
Roscommon the Conventual Franciscans were established 
at Bealaneney,*^ although no details of the foundation 
have come down to us ; they were also introduced into 
Elphin •* by Cornelius, Bishop of this Diocese, with the 
approval of his Canons and of the people of the town (A.D. 
1450). It seems that the friars had been in charge of a 
church there dedicated to St. Patrick until a monastery 
was built for them in the course of time. A Protestant 
bishop was permitted by the agents of Queen Elizabeth 
to seize this house and the monastic lands. Father John 
O'Dowd — a member of the community — ^was put to 
a most cruel death in 1579 for having refused to violate 

''-'* Alemand, pp. 278, 293, 294. 
""* Walah, pp. 463, 636, 624 6291 



THE FRANCISCANS. 5501 

the Seal of Confession at the impious command of 
some English soldiers.*^ 

The Franciscan monastery of MoyNE,*<> county Mayo, 
was a superb edifice situated on the river Moy, near its 
entrance to the Bay of Killala, and affording a grand 
view of the Atlantic. It was the gift of MacWilliam 
Burke to St. Francis, at the instance of Father Nehemias 
O'Donoghoe — ^the first Vicar-Provincial of the Irish 
Observantines, renowned as a preacher and for his 
eminent holiness (a.d. 1460). The beautiful church was 
consecrated in 1462 by Donatus O'Connor, Bishop of 
Killala, and placed under the invocation of St. Francis. 
Soon after this solemn ceremony the founder had the 
claustral limits marked out by a massive stone wall. 
Beneath the church was a crypt wherein might be 
seen the tombs of many noble benefactors, not a few of 
whom had worn the humble habit of St. Francis during 
life. The library was very valuable, a great number of 
precious works having been collected there, this house 
being a college of the Irish Province for more than a 
hundred and fifty years : the community rarely com- 
prised less than fifty religious — whether priests, students, 
or lay-brothers. Here, too, the Provincial Chapters 
were frequently held. When suppressed by command of 
Queen Elizabeth, the friary of Moynt became the scene 
of the martyrdom of several heroic sons of Saint Francis. 
Brothers Phdim O'Hara and Henry Delahoyde, slain by 
the heretics in 1578, were also members of the same 
community. And some say that it was here, likewise. 
Father John O'Dowd — known as the " St. John Nepomu- 
cene of Ireland " — ^laid down his life for the Faith.*^ Early 
in the seventeenth century the Franciscans succeeded 

*"Our Martyn," p. 108. The Franciscan Tertiaries had friaries at 
Caldbywollaoh ana Clovrahan in the county Roscommon. — Walsh, 
p. 627— And at Ballymoti and Court in the county Sligo. Ibidem, pp 
641, 646. 

<• WaUh, p. 530. « Walsh, p. 580, X7. . 



202 A SECOND THTSBAID. 

in renting the church and some of the monastic buildings ; 
and were tolerated by the Scotch and English settlers, 
who had found it greatly to their advantage to live on 
friendly terms with the Catholics of that district. 
But when Cromwell came the friars of Moyne could only 
save themselves from the rage of his fanatical followers 
by escaping into exile.^Not far from this monastery, the 
Franciscan Tertiaries had a spacious friary built for them 
at RossERiac/* in the course of the fifteenth century, by 
a representative of the Joyce family. We are assured, 
moreover, that there was another foundation made for 
the Order of St. Francis at B0GHM0YEN,*» county Mayo ; 
and one at Strade,** which seems to have been occupied 
by a community of Dominicans in the year 1252. In 
the same county there appears to have been yet another 
house of the Order, which friary was popularly called 

•* MONS PlETATIS.* *» 

At the pious request of his wife Margaret — daughter 
of Conor O'Brien, King of Thomond— Owen O'Rourke, 
Prince of Breffny, founded a monastery for the Francis- 
cans at Creevtxea, or Ballyrourk,** count>' Leitrim, 
A.D. 1 508. It is said to have rivalled any of the other 
friaries of the Irish Province from an architectural point 
of view ; and is supposed to have been built on the site 
of an ancient sanctuary, dating from the time of St. 
Patrick ; hence the place is still called ** Carrig-Phadruig," 
or Patrick's Rock. The first community came from the 
monastery of Donegal ; indeed the Princess Margaret 
always retained a great admiration for the friars of that 
famous establishment, which owed so much to the 
generosity of her own sister Fingalla. Thomas MacBrady, 
Bishop of Kilmore, consecrated the church in 1 5 1 1 ; 
next year the good Princess died, and was laid to rest in 

^^ Archdall, pp. 508, 497, 509, 566. The Conventual Franciscans 
are naid to have hacl a house at PowFiNAN in the county Mayo ; and also 
at KiiLiNBY.-- Walsh p. 563, 576. 

** Archdall, p. 407. 



THE FRANCISCANS. 203 

a magnificent tomb erected by her royal spouse in the 
chancel — ^his own remains being interred there also in 
1528, after he had worn the Franciscan habit for some 
years. One night during the year 1536, while the 
religious were at rest, a great portion of the sacred 
edifice was burned down ; and Father Heremon 
O'Donnell lost his life in trying preach the Tabernacle. 
Many precious books were destroyed on the same occasion, 
and the various monastic buildings suffered considerably 
from the action of the fire. But the monastery and 
church were eventually repaired by Bryan Ballach 
O'Rourke. It was in this friary that Father Mooney — 
to whom we are so indebted for his interesting account 
of the Irish Province during his own times — received 
Holy Orders and celebrated his first Mass. A small com- 
munity returned to Creevdea sometime in the year 1642 ; 
but after the Cromwellian persecution, the friars could 
only dwell secretly in a thatched cabin near the ruins of 
their former home ; and from that lowly abode still 
persevered in attending to the spiritual needs of the Faith- 
ful. In the county Leitrim also, there was that friary 
established for the Conventual Franciscans at Balle- 
GUARCY*^ by Cornelius O'Brien, A.D. 1518 ; and William 
O'Reilly built one at THAaNELiNG «— A.D. 1414— which 
was subsequently reformed by the Observantines at the 
suggestion of a member of the founder's family. Then, 
there was a monastery of this Order at Jamestown,** 
on the Shannon ; while the Franciscan Tertiaries, also, 
are said to have had a house in the county Leitrim, 
concerning which, however, nothing further is known. 
The Plunkets, of Louth, founded a great monastery 
for the Franciscans at Drogheda,*^ a.d. 1240. A beautiful 
site near the river Boyne was chosen for this house, of 
the proportions of which we may form some idea from 
the fact that the choir could accommodate as many as 

^•* Archdall, pp. 407, 410, 409. 



204 A SECOND THEBAID. 

two hundred religious. The church was, in the beginning, 
regarded as a place of sanctuary. Other noble families 
of Drogheda were likewise very generous to this com- 
munity, freely contributing the funds necessary for the 
repair of the different parts of the monastery seriously 
injured by an inundation of the Boync in the year 1330. 
The friars had adopted the Observantine Rule in 15 18, 
and were fervently practising the same when interrupted 
by the soldiers of Queen Elizabeth. In 161 2, an adven- 
turer named Moses Hill purchased the monastic property 
from Gerald Aylmer, as a financial speculation ; but his 
scheme did not succeed ; so, later on, he pulled down 
both church and friary — with exception of the tower 
and great Eastern window — and sold the cut-stones for 
building purposes. Many a thrilling incident of the 
Franciscan mission at Drc^heda during the Penal Times 
is on record ; and will, doubtlessly, furnish interesting 
subject-matter to the writer tracing the fate of our Irish 
* Thebaid * from the final Suppression of its monasteries 
down to the present more tolerant age. The Franciscans 
had also a friary at Dundalk,*^ county Louth, established 
for them by John de Verdon in the reign of King Henry 
the Third. An important Chapter was held there in 
1282 : we are informed, moreover, that this house had 
the grand distinction of being one of the first friaries to 
be plundered by the agents of Henry the Eighth. Father 
Mooney recounts a strange anecdote concerning the 
grandson of the royal favourite who had secured for him- 
self the possessions of the Franciscans of Dundalk. When 
on a visit to that town in the year 16 16, a certain John 
Brandon called to see the Friar and told him that he had 
inherited some monastic property, granted to his grand- 
father by the Crown; but which he himself scrupled 
retaining without the consent of the proper Ecclesiastical 
authorities. Father Mooney submitted the matter to 

"^ ''Archdall, pp. 450-464. Alemand, pp. 233-234. 



THE FRANCISCANS. 205 

his superiors, with the result that Brandon was allowed 
to hold the lands in question under conditions to which 
he readily assented. 

Hugh de Lacy receives credit of having founded the 
Franciscan friary of Carrickfergus," in the county 
Antrim, A.D. 1231. This house was reformed by the 
Observantines in 1479 ; and in 1510 a General Chapter 
of the Order is said to have assembled there. All the 
property pertaining to this establishment passed into the 
hands of Sir Arthur Chichester at the Suppression. 
There were several monasteries of the Third Order in 
the same county: that of BONAMARGY," built by the 
MacDonnells in 1498 ; Massarene,^ also dating from 
the fifteenth century, and of which the O'Neils were the 
founders ; Lambbg," established about the same time, like- 
wise attributed to the MacDonnells; and that of Glenarm*^ 
of which Robert Bissett, a Scotchman, was the principal 
benefactor (a.D. i 465). Alemand adds that of Invernaile»«' 
— dating from the fifteenth century— but this was 
one of the foundations made in the county Donegal. 

The origin of the Franciscan friary of DOWN*^ — A.D. 
1240 — ^is, also, assigned to Hugh de Lacy, the younger, 
although several writers daim the merit of the good 
work for Africa, the pious spouse of Sir John de Courcey. 
According to those who hold that the " Subtle Doctor * 
was an Irishman, Dun Scotus spent part of his dis- 
tinguished career in the friary of Down — his native 
place, as various writers maintain." A Provincial Chapter 
met there in the year 1 3 1 3. And during the guardianship 
of Father Thomas MacCominde, Father Patrick Kearin 
being the Minister Provincial, the community embraced 
the Observantine Rule. In the year 1 570 this monastery 
was visited by a troop of soldiers, under the command of 
an Englishman named John Britton, who seized Fathers 
John O'Lochran, Edmond FitzSimon and Donogh 

"-"^Alemand, pp. 291-292. 



2o6 A SECOND TIIEBAID. 

Roarke ; and, having tortured them most barbarously, 
hanged them near St. John's Well — the place where 
angels are said to have appeared to St. Patrick. Two 
other members of the same community were slain in the 
garden of the monastery, after Britton had accepted a 
large sum of money from the people of Down as a ransom 
for the lives of these heroic friars. It is stated that there 
were houses of the Order at Ardicnise,** and Dromore ^ ; 
and that the Tertiaries had establishments at HOLLY- 
WOOD,«i and Bangor.** the famed abbey of which latter 
place was handed over to those zealous sons of St. Francis 
in 1469 with the approval of Pope Paul the Second. 

It was the Archbishop Maelpatrick O'Scannail who 
introduced the Franciscans into Armagh •* in the year 
1 264, after The MacDonnell had built a fine monastery 
for the Conventual friars in the Primatial city. The 
O'Neils, whose monument adorned the church, were 
among the most generous friends of this community. 
One of the religious. Father Michael by name, was 
appointed to govern the See of Armagh in 1303 ; and 
when in 1347 a successor of his — ^Richard FitzRalph — 
would question the privileges of the friars. Pope Innocent 
IV., then at Avignon, decided the case in favour of the 
Franciscans. The Observantine Reform was adopted in 
1318; and in the course of the same century the monastic 
buildings were all destroyed by fire during the war 
between Shane O'Neill and the troops of Queen Elizabeth 
(a.d. 1566). It seems the friars managed to escape on 
that occasion ; but a short time previously Fathers 
Roger McCongail, Fergal MacWard, and 0>melius 
MacVarra had been captured by the English soldiers 
and brutally flogged through the streets of Armagh. 
Two of them did not survive this terrible ordeal. About 
ten years afterwards Father Fergal — the Guardian of the 

• • Alemand, pp. 272-273. " Our Martyrs," p. 94 
•«» Walsh, 405, 414. 415. 4". 



THE FRANCISCANS, 20/ 

friary, and a most zealous defender of Catholic doctrine 
— ^was again seized by the heretics, and notwithstanding 
his great age subjected to the same inhuman treat- 
ment before his persecutors finally strangled him with 
his own cincture (A.D. 1575). In the county Armagh, 
the members of the Third Order of St. Francis had a very 
important establishment at KiLLSLERE,** founded for them 
sometime in the fifteenth century. 

St. Mary's friary at Cavan," originally founded— A.D. 
1300 — ^for the Dominicans by the O'Reillj^ of Breffny, 
was granted to the Conventual Franciscans in the year 
1393, at the instance of some members of the founder's 
family. The English, under John Tiptoft Earl of 
Worcester, burned down this monastery in 1468, but 
it was again restored ; for in 1499 we find it in charge 
of a community of the Observantines. Provincial Chap- 
ters were held there in 1521 ; in 1539; and in 1556. 
After the Suppression, it was one of the Irish friaries 
used as courthouses during the reign of King James the 
First. 

The most interesting chapter in the important narrative 
left us by Father Mooney contains his account of the 
Franciscan monastery of Donegal.** According to this 
annalist, the foundation was due to the earnest request 
made by Nuala O'Connor, wife of Hugh Roe O'Donnell, 
to the superiors of the Order assembled in Chapter at 
Ross-Rial in the year 1474. Her husband had under- 
taken to contribute the requisite funds ; and soon a 
noble pile of buildings, destined to become so famed in 
Irish History, rose amid charming scenery at the head 
of the Bay of Donegal. The Princess of Tirconnell con- 
tinued to befriend this community ; while Hugh Oge, 
the founder's son, took the holy habit there towards 

*** Alemand, pp. 276-293. Ardidall (Ed. 1876), vol. i., p. 67. According 
to Wadding a monasteiy was founded for the Conventual Friars at Scrad- 
hailloyse, county Armagh, — A.D. 1282. 

« Archdall, (Ed. 1876;, voL i., p. 186 sq. 



203 A SECOND THRBAID. 

the close of his successful career (a.d. 1537). A Bishop 

of Raphoe — ^Menelaus MacCarmacan — had already died 

wearing the Franciscan habit (a.d. 1515) ; and Roderick 

O'Donnell, Bishop of Deny, whose remains were likewise 

interred there (a.d. 1530), implored the privilege of being 

laid to rest in the same sacred shroud. The annalist 

assures us that it would be quite impossible for him to so 

much as mention the names of all the eminent men 

whose burial took place in the friary of Donegal during 

the next hundred years ; but whether renowned for 

their learning, or their valour, they were invariably 

distinguished by the holiness of their lives. Among them 

was a saintly friar named Bernard Gray — a priest famed 

throughout Ireland for the gift of miracles ; his death 

occurred in the year 1549. There was a very valuable 

library attached to this monastery ; and here, too, in 

after years, the " Annals of the Four Masters * were 

compiled.*^ Of course everything fell into the hands of 

the plunderers of the Irish monasteries during the reign 

of Henry VIIL, or when several of that monarch's 

immediate successors were in power. And now only a 

few sad ruins remain to remind us of the former grandeur 

of the friary of Donegal. However, before its final 

suppression, a community of fully forty religious dwelt 

there in peace again for a time, protected by the valiant 

O'Donnell. But at length they shared the fate of their 

brethren all over Ireland during the Penal Days. The 

Guardian — ^Father Tadhg O'Boyle, a celebrated preacher 

— was slain by the English soldiery in I588.** His death 

was avenged by the young Hugh Roe O'Donnell, after 

the marvellous escape of that chieftain from the dungeons 

of Dublin Castle. Moreover, Cornelius O'Devany, Bishop 

of Down and Connor — who, together with another 

Franciscan named Father Patrick O'Lochran, died for 

^ A.D. 1636. (O'Donovan's Translation of the Irish MS. waa pub- 
lished in Dablin in 1856). 
• " Onjr Martyn," p. 195 jy. 



THE FRANCISCANS. 209 

the Faith in Dublin {a.D. 1612)— is said to have once 
been a member of the community of the friary of Donegal. 

Ware mentions several other foundations made for the 
G>nventual Franciscans in the county Donegal. That 
of KlLMACRENAN,^ attributed to the pious O'Donndls ; 
Bellagan ^* ; and the friary of Ballymacsweeny,^ which 
is supposed to have been built by the MacSweeny family. 
The Tertiaries of the same Order were established at 
Magheribbg," and at Killodonnell "—both monasteries 
being traced to the generosity of the O'Donnells. The 
Franciscans had a friary at KiLLYBEGS/* founded by the 
MacSweeny-bannig ; and the representative of another 
branch of the MacSweeny family erected one for them 
at a place called Fanegarag.^^ 

With regard to Franciscan establishments in the 
counties Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh, only Burke 
alludes to a friary said to have existed in the dty of Derry." 
There were a number of houses belonging to the members 
of the Third Order in the county Tyrone : * that of 
Dungannon,'^ founded by the O'NeU during the reign 
of Henry VII. ; and those of Ballinsaghart " ; 
CORROCK,"] Gervagh-Kerin,*; Pubbal"; and Omagh.*" 
We are not told whether the friary of Stra- 
BANE^ was intended in the beginning for the 
Tertiaries ; but it was certainly a Franciscan foundation. 
In the county Fermanagh, the monastery of LiSGOOL ** 
—A.D. 1 106— had been originally built for the Canons 
Regular ; but in the course of time it was transferred 
to the Conventual Friars by Papal authority. Before 
the buildings could be completely restored — ^the ancient 
monastery being almost in ruins — this house was sup- 
pressed, and granted by the royal agents to Sir John 
Davis. 

Phelim MacMahon rendered most generous assistance 

•■I " Antiquities," p. 96. '^^ Alanaod, p. 393. 

w "Appendix Monattica," p. 747. ""^ Walsh, pp. 678 sg. 

P 



210 A SECOND THEBAID. 

to the Franciscans in establishing their friary at 
MONAGHAN •— A,D. 146a— On the site of the ancient abbey 
of St. Moddod. This house was destroyed by the English 
in the year 1 540, the stones of the monastic buildings 
being used by a man named Edward White in the oor^ 
struction of a castle. Several members of the community 
— among them Father Patrick O'Brady^ the Guardian — 
were then put to death by the heretics : according to 
some of our annalists, as many as sixteen of the faiars 
were called upon to lay down their lives for the Faith * 
The " Four Masters " inform us that about this epoch a 
fierce persecution against the monastic Orders raged in 
Ireland ; and that the number of its victims— our heroic 
Irish Confessors — can be known to God alone. And the 
reasons, to which we have frequently alluded^ are again 
assigned to esqdain how history has suffered fay the 
wanton destruction of the archives and libraries of so 
many Irish monasteries.^ 

What has been said concerning the introduction of 
the Dominican nuns into Irdand, mi^t be repe a ted 
with regard to the Poor Qares, earliest mention of their 
existence in this country being under date of the year 
1311; when a convent of " the Poor Sisters of St. Francis* 
was opened in the City of Galway** by Walter Lynch 
Fitz»Thomas — ^the Mayor — at the pious entreaty of his 
own daughter. We may add, moreover, that the Irish 
Franciscan Friars made several important foundations 
abroad during the course of the seventeenth century : 
notably that of " St. Isidore's " in Rome (a.D. 1635), 
which was mainly due to the zeal of Father Luke 
Wadding. However, the object of the present narrative 
does not allow even passing reference to each of these 

•* » Archdall, pp. 264, 586. " « Onr Mwrtyn," p. 89. 

■' NoTB.^Althotigh, in most instances, only better known Works of 
Reference have been cited, the author has endeavoured to verify each 
statement by comparing it with the original source of the infonnacion. 

* ''Appendix Manaatioa^" p. 747. 




FATHER THOMAS AOUINAS OF JESUS, O.D.C 



(p. 237.) 



THE FRANCISCANS. 211 

monasteries; nor to the Irish Province of the other 
great branch of the Order of St. Francis — the Capuchins 
— ^whose membex^ first came to assist in reviving the 
glory of the '* Second Thebaid " about that same period : 
many of them being included, no doubt, among those 
unknown Franciscans who died for the Faith in Ireland 
in later Penal Times. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE AUGUSTINIANS. 

The Hermits of St. Augustine, or Augustinian Friars, 
are, like the Canons Regular, entitled to daim the great 
Doctor of Hippo as their holy Founder. And their 
Institute has, from the beginning, been formed ac- 
cording to the spirit of his teaching : its members pro- 
posing to themselves the Saint's example of persevering 
fervour in their efforts to attain to Christian perfection. 
As for the ancient origin of their Order, we need only 
say that the explanation offered by the Augustinian 
apologists — rightly jealous of their own traditions — 
seems far more satisfactory in every respect than the 
theories of those inclined to reject, as a mere pretension 
on the part of the Hermits, this claim to an historical 
descent similar to that upheld by the Canons Regular.^ 
But in the present constitution of the Order, the 
Augustinians date back to about the middle of the 
thirteenth century, when several already existing Con- 
gregations of Hermits, following much the same mode of 
life, were united by Pope Alexander the Fourth, becoming 
eventually recognised as Mendicant Friars during the 
Pontificate of Saint Pius the Fifth ^A.D. 1567). Their 
Rule was extremely severe, ordaining that great spirit 
of retirement from the world, which, nevertheless, 
proved rather a help than a hindrance to them in the 
exerdseof their missionary zeal. Inevitable modifications 
were introduced into the Regular Observance in the 

^ NoTB— An interesting article on the "Primitive Rule" of this Order 
Appeared in the July issue of the ** Irish Ecclesiastical Record " (1903). 



THE AUGUSTINIANS. 213 

course of time; but, as surely, subsequent earnest 
endeavours restored the primitive rigour of the original 
Rule. That the Order of Augustinian Hermits 
flourished in the Church is clearly evident from one 
fact alone : some three thousand monasteries had been 
established throughout the world before the beginning 
of the sixteenth century, the number of the friars 
being about thirty thousand ; there were, besides, 
several hundred convents of Augustinian nuns. We 
may add, moreover, that prior to the great union alluded 
to, one of the Congregations of Hermits — that instituted 
by the Blessed John Bon — claimed St. Francis Assisi as 
a subject before he had founded the order which bears 
his own name ; although writers maintain that this 
assertion is not based on sufficiently trustworthy 
authority.' 

An Augustinian author informs us that there were as 
many as sixty-one houses of this Order in Ireland at 
the time of the Suppression. However, more modem 
historians will only admit that they themselves could 
find anything like reliable information concerning twenty- 
six friaries of the Irish Hermits ; and, consequently, 
hold that the remaining thirty-five monasteries — 
of which Father Lubin makes mention — ^must have 
belonged to the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine. 
Unfortunately the Archives of the Order can throw 
very little light on the subject ; so few books and 
documents of importance escaped the vandalism of 
those deputed to uproot the monastic institutions of 
Ireland in the sixteenth century. 

Seeing that the year 1259 is usually assigned for 
the foundation of the Augustinian friary of " Holy 
Trinity,* Dublin,' we may infer this to be the more 
probable epoch of the first coming of the Hermits to 

■ Iltstoire du CUrgi^ voL iii., p. 36, tq, " A Catholic Dictionnr}'/' p. 56. 
* Alemand, p. 305. Archdnll, p. 212. '* Our Martyrs,** p. 81, sq. 



214 A SECOND THEBAID. 

the country : and it is equally probable that none of the 
various Congregations had already been introduced into 
Ireland previous to the union effected among them by 
the action of Pope Alexander the Fourth (a.d. 1256). 
The site of the Dublin monastery was in Crow Street, 
a member of the Talbot family undertaking all the ex- 
penses of this great work. The new foundation became 
the college of the Irish Province : although, strictly 
speaking, the Augustinians of Ireland were under the 
jurisdiction of the English Provincial, until a Superior 
of their own received canonical appointment to the 
same office during the course of the sixteenth century. 
Many distinguished members of the Order are said to 
have prepared themselves there for the labours that 
were afterwards to redound greatly to the glory of the 
Irish Church. In the year 1309, Father Robert, the 
prior of Holy Trinity, was one of the witnesses summoned 
to attend at the famous trial of the Knights Templar. 
It was impossible for this friary to escape the notice 
of King Henry VIII. ; for that monarch had keenly b^en 
mortified by the publication of a celebrated treatise 
on the authority of the Roman Pontiff, the work of a 
member of the same community : the Venerable Father 
John Travers, who clearly exposed the hypocrisy of 
Henry's attitude towards the Holy See. Foreseeing 
what influence the author of such a book would have 
among the people, the advisers of the Crown in Dublin 
had Father Travers arrested and taken prisoner to 
London. A charge of high treason was brought against 
him, and he received the Martyr's Palm at Tyburn on 
the 30th of July, 1535— one of the first of our Irish 
Confessors of the Faith slain during that terrible series of 
persecutions which followed the English King's sad revolt 
from Rome. The house of the Dublin Augustinians 
was seized and plundered later on, and finally passed 
into the possession of a man named Walter Tyrrel. 



THE AUGUSTINIANS. 215 

If the Augustinian friary at Drogheda^ — ^the next 
mentioned by the annalists — did not owe its origin 
to the Brandon family, as some writers say, it is certain 
that the community there held themselves deeply 
indebted to the generosity of those pious benefactors, 
then of considerable importance in the county Louth. 
The foundation took place sometime during the reign of 
Edward the First ; and a General Chapter of the Order 
was convened there in the year 1359. This friary 
was granted to the Mayor and citizens of Drogheda 
by Henry VIII. at the dissolution of the Irish monasteries ; 
but it seems that the Hermits secured possession 
again in the course of the following century. For 
Father Peter Taaffe, the Augustinian friar whom 
Cromwell's soldiers put to death at the taking of the 
dty in 1649, was prior of this house. In acquainting 
Parliament with what he had done at Drogheda, Cromwell 
boasted of having slain nearly a thousand defenceless 
Catholics, tc^ether with all the friars, in the church 
of St. Peter. 

We find that there were five monasteries of this Order 
in the County Wexford ; but the only itons of reliable 
information preserved concern those of Ross,* and 
CLONinNES.^ The latter was a fine building, with much 
land attached; the O'Cavanaghs were its original 
founders ; but it was considerably enlarged in the year 
1385 by a certain Nicholas, sumamed "the Qerk." 
It was granted to John Parker at the Suppression ; 
still some writers are of opinion that prior to this 
event the friary of Qonmines was occupied by a 
community of Dominicans. The names of the bene* 
faMTtors of the Augustinian monastery at Ross are not 
mentioned ; probably its establishment dated from the 
reign of King Edward the Third. Possession of all 
the monastic property of the community there was 
^Afcfadcll,p.459i 



2l6 A SECOND THEBAID. 

bestowed upon Edward Butler in the time of Henry 
the Eighth. Only the writers of the Order allude to 
the foundations said to have been made at WEXFORD,^ 
and in two other {daces in the same county, the names 
of which cannot now be identified. Either the authors 
generally are altogether silent on the subject^ or else 
adduce reasons to show that the Augustinian annalists 
must have been mistaken in their conjectures. 

There was but cme foundation of the Hermits in the 
county Kilkenny — ^that of Callan,' built by James, 
Earl of Ormond, A.D. 1487. Thomas, another Earl 
of Ormond, became enriched by the plunder of this 
house at the Suppression. The various authors 
do not appear to have had any mi^vings about the 
existence of this monastery ; but few seem inclined to 
accept the statements made by Father Lubin concerning 
the Augustinian friaries, which, he assures us, were 
founded elsewhere in the same county, including one 
in the city of Kilkenny,^ 

Early in the reign of King Edward H., Simon 
Lombard and Hugh Tallon introduced the Hermits 
of St. Augustine into the village of St. John, near 
TULLAGH,*^ county Carlow. Edward HI. confirmed 
the grants made to this commimity— A.D. 133X9 Father 
John de Kell being then prior. In this instance, also, 
the monastic property fdl into the hands of Thcwnas, 
Earl of Ormond, at the dissolution of the Irish monas- 
teries : by such rewards did Queen Elizabeth express her 
approval of the crime of apostacy. It was quite usual 
for the members of the different Religious Orders in 
Ireland to make the neighbourhood of each of their 
ruined monasteries the centre of missionary zeal when 
no longer allowed to exercise their sacred duties openly 
owing to the Penal Laws; and while thus engaged, 
it is probable that the Augustinian friars, who had sought 
^' Alemaady p^ 506, jf. 



THE AUGUSTINIANS. 21/ 

a refuge in the village of St. John, became victims of 
Puritan fanaticism when Tullagh was seized by the 
Cromwellians. 

Mere passing reference is made to the Augustinian 
monastery founded at Naas,^* county Kildare, which 
we find bestowed by Queen Elizabeth upon Nicholas 
Aylmer, one of the royal favourites. A pious nobleman, 
named Francis deFeipo, built a large friary for the Hermits 
at Skrine,^* in the county Meath, A.D. 1 341 ; and endowed 
a chantry in the same place *for the welfare of his own 
soul, and for the souls of his wife, his parents, and 
posterity.* Both chantry and monastery fell into the 
hands of the royal agents during the reign of King Henry 
the Eighth. There was also a foundation made for 
the same Order on the * Island of All Saints," " in 
the county Longford 

The friary of DungarVan ^ appears to have been 
the only establishment which the Augustinians possessed 
in the county Waterford ; although Father Lubin insists 
that there were houses of the order in the city of 
Waterford, also at Lismore and Ardmore, ^* but Alemand 
— whose opinion, however, we are by no means inclined to 
adopt unreservedly — ^is equally positive that the abbeys 
originally founded for the Canons Regular in these 
three latter places have been included in the Augustinian 
author's lengthy list. The Dungarvan monastery was 
erected by Thomas, Lord Offaley — Justiciary of Ireland 
in the year 1295 — but the friars held themselves deeply 
indebted to the O'Briens and Magraths, who were 
among their principal benefactors. This house usually 
contained a numerous community, dispersed, of course, 
at the Suppression, when a grant of the monastic lands 
and buildings was the acknowledgment of Robert Dalton's 
services to the Crown in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. 



"* Alemand, pp. 309-312, 

*■■*• Alemand, p. 312, tq, Walsh, pp. 606, 537, 68^ 



2l8 A SECOND THEBAID. 

There was an important Augustinian foundation 
in the city of CORK,^^ dating, probably, from the reign 
of Edward the First, and attributed to the De G>urcys, 
Barons of Kinsale. In the course of time this friary 
became known as " the Red Abbey ; * judging from the 
ruins, it must have been an imposing edifice origin- 
ally. One of the MacCarth}^ obtained possession 
of the lands and buildings from the agents of Queen 
Elizabeth. The Augustinian annalists maintain that 
there were monasteries of their Order in the county 
Cork at Clonmene (founded by the O'Callaghans) ; at 
Youghal ; Ross ; and at a place in the barony of Castle- 
connd ; but other writers when alluding to these 
establishments assign them to the Canons Reg^ular. 
Moreover, in the county Kerry, a friary said to have 
existed at Killagh^^ is, likewise, claimed for the 
Hermits. 

O'Brien of Thomond built an Augustinian monastery 
in the city of LlMERiCK^* sometime in the thirteenth 
century. It occupied a site near the commandery of the 
Knights Templar, and was dedicated to the Holy Cross 
and Our Blessed Lady. Not a trace of either of these 
buildings remained after the Suppression. It was at 
the instance of Father Aquila, General of the Hermits, 
that the strict Observance was revived in the Limerick 
friary about the year 1472 ; most probably the fervour 
of this community was soon zealously emulated by 
the Irish Augustinians generally. The prior of Hdy 
Cross had, in virtue of his office, first vote in the election 
of the Mayor of Limerick: a privilege asserted and 
exercised by Father Stephen Sexton, who died in 1594. 
According to Father Lubin, the Hermits were established 
at Kilmallock and in another place in the county limerick 
as well as at Adaire,^^ still attractive because of the 
picturesque ruins of the friary which John, Earl of 

^1* Walsh, p. 389, sg, Lewis, toL l, p. 428. Alemand, p, SH-JiJ* 



THE AUGUSTINIANS. 219 

Kildare, built for the Augustinians there, A,D. 1315. 
In 13 1 7 King Edward II. approved of the various 
donations of land made to this community. Although 
fairly well preserved, the remains of the monastery — 
including portion of the spacious choir and cloister — 
afford but a poor idea of the former grandeur of the 
structure. It was eventually seized by Sir Henry 
Wallop, whose wealth continued to increase by the 
confiscation of Church property in Ireland. In the 
same county was the friary of Any," built by some pious 
gentlemen, one of whom was known as " John, the 
son of Robert." It was during the reign of King Henry 
III. that the Hermits took possession of this hoxise, 
which, together with the adjoining lands, fell to the 
share of a certain John and Mary Absley in the time of 
Queen Elizabeth. 

No mention is made of the benefactors to whom the 
Augustinians were indebted for the great monastery 
founded for them at TiPPERARY,*i dating from the 
thirteenth century. This town was destroyed by fire 
in the year 1329, and we are left to infer that the friary 
of the Hermits, also, was burned down on the same 
occasion. If so, it must have been restored again in 
the course of time ; for we find that Father Donagh 
O'Cuyrke held the office of prior there when the agents 
of Henry VIII. came to seize *the church, chapter- 
house, dormitory, hall, two chambers (or guest-rooms), 
and inner chamber (within the cloister), a kitchen, the 
mill, the cemetery, the gardens, and a good deal of 
pasturage and arable land." This monastic property 
was all bestowed, conditionally, upon a man named 
Dermot Ryan. Early in the thirteenth century a 
friary was built for the same Order at Fethard," in the 
county Tipperary, but the names of the founders have 
not been preserved. There seems to have been some 

>*■» Archdall, pp 415, 417, 675. 



220 A SECOND THEBAID. 

informality in the deed of title, which, however, was 
over-ruled by King Edward I. in 1306: this monarch 
confirmed, moreover, all other donations made to the 
same community. The Augustinian writers inform 
us that at least two other foundations were made 
for their Order in the county Tipperary. But Alemand 
would have us believe that in setting up such claims 
Father Lubin — especially — ^merely refers to the ancient 
sanctuaries established in those places at a very early 
date by our Irish Saints, many of whom were Hermits 
strictly so-called ; and, perhaps, not a few of them pro- 
posing to themselves to model their lives on the teaching 
of the great St. Augustine. However, we have seen 
elsewhere that most of these ancient sanctuaries through- 
out the country were in later ages occupied by com- 
munities of the Canons Regular. 

Doubtful as the origin of its foundation may appear^ 
the history of the Augustinian friary of Galway" is 
extremely interesting. Some authors are of opinion 
that it was buUt by the Berminghams of Athenry in 
the thirteenth century ; in which case it could only 
have been restored in the year 1508 by Margaret, the 
pious wife of Stephen L3nich FitzDominic. She is said 
to have undertaken this good work at the suggestion 
of Father Richard Nangle, — an Augustinian friar 
subsequently appointed to the Archbishopric of 
Tuam, although his name does not occur in Ware's 
list of the Prelates who governed the See of St. Jarlath. 
Her husband was in Spain at the time, probably on a 
pilgrimage to the tomb of St, James. She herself went 
thither later on, shortly before her holy death. When 
told, on his return, that the graceful steeple which he 
beheld rising above the Augustinian church, in a southern 
suburb of the city, was due to the charity of his own 
wife, FitzDominic knelt down on the shore, amd fervently 

** ** Alemaud, pp. 3x9, 322. 



THE AUGUSTINIANS. 221 

thanked God for having vouchsafed to her the grand 
inspiration. Richard De Burgo was^ also, a good bene- 
factor to this community ; making the friars several 
valuable donations — couched in the usual formula : 
" for the welfare of his own soul, and for the souls of 
his parents and posterity," a.D. 15 17. Queen Elizabeth 
granted the buildings and lands to the Corporation 
of Galway in the year 1570; but in 1603, James I. 
transferred them to Sir George Carew, After many 
strange vicissitudes, this monastery was restored to 
the Augustinians in 1643. In less than ten years 
they were again driven thence, the monastic build- 
ings being levelled to the ground by their relentless 
persecutors. Allusion is next made to a number of the 
members of the Order in Ireland who laid down their 
lives for the Faith : among others, Fathers Donough 
©'Kennedy, Donough Sienan, Fulgentius Jordan, 
Redmond O'Mally, Thomas Tully and Brother Thomas 
Deir ; but we are given no details of their martyrdom. 
There is special mention of a Father William Tirry, 
a learned and zealous friar, who had laboured secretly 
on the mission in G)rk for several years; he was at 
length seized by the heretics in 1654, and publicly 
executed. We are told that he was nephew of the Bishop 
of Cork (a.D. 1622-1640) ; and in the intervals of his 
missionary duties he used to instruct the two sons 
of the Viscount Sarsfidd.** 

The friary which the Augustinians had at DuNMOR£,^ 
county Galway, is said to have been established by Walter 
De Birmingham, Lord Athenry. In all probability 
the site chosen for this foundation had been formerly 
occupied by an abbey built there by St. Patrick himself ; 
or, at all events, dedicated to our national Apostle 
at a very early date. The memory of a holy Bishop 
named Fulartach, was, likewise, revered in the same 

**^ Alemuid, pp. 322-324. Walth, p. 558. 



2^2 A SFXOND THEBAID. 

place. Long after the Suppression, part of the monastery 
of the Hermits still remained and was converted into 
a temporary parish church. There were monastic 
institutions in the town of Tuam, at Qontuskert, at 
Gormorgan, and at Tombeola, which most writers daim 
for the Canons Regular; but which Father Lubin 
numbers among the friaries of the Augustinian Hermits.** 

In the year 13379 the hermits of St. Augustine were 
introduced into Baiunrobe,'' county Mayo. This friary, 
however, was not considered a foundation of vtry great 
importance. Some writers say that Tuathal O'Mally, 
Lord of Oules, was the chief benefactor of the community 
there; but evidently they rather aUude to the abbey 
of St. John, in the same place, which dated from the 
eleventh century. Such as the possessions of the 
Augustinian friary were, they passed into the hands 
of an adventurer named Thomas Nolan (a.d. 1608X 
who is described as * one of the first of the English tavern* 
keepers,* to exercise his calling in the Province of 
Connaught. Many such adventurers obtained per- 
mission to open inns * for the safe of wines and spirituous 
liquors," after the plunder of the native Irish had put 
an end to the famed Biataghs, or "* houses of hospitality.* 
Later on we find the monastic lands allotted to James 
Cufle, secretary to Cromwdl's commissioners in 
Connaught, and ancestor of that James CuSe— son 
of Lord Tyrawley — who so bitterly opposed the Catholic 
claims in the time of O'Connell. The " noble O'Mallys * 
receive the credit of having founded another friary 
for the Hermits at MORRISK * in the same county. It 
was beautifully situated near the bay of Westport, 
over-shadowed by Croagh*Patrick. Part of the ruins 
still lend a sad, if picturesque, feature of their own to 
the scenery around. 

It is said that the friary founded for the Carmelites 

"•» Walsh, pp. si% 5^3, 557. 



THE AUGUSTINUNS. 223 

at BORRISCARRA^^ county Mayo, was granted to the 
Augustinians by Pope John XXIII., A.D. 141 2. No 
reason is assigned for the transfer having been made ; 
but we have already cited other instances in which the 
Psfal authority was exercised in a similar way. This 
house suffered the fate of all the Irish monasteries at 
the Suppression; and in the reign of James I. the 
property formerly belonging to it was bestowed upon 
one of the King's feivourites. 

The Augustinians had also a monastery at Bally- 
HAUNIS * county Mayo, built for them by the Nangles— 
who, it may be said, assumed the name of Costdloe, 
Ballyhaunis being in the barony of Costello. This house 
was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. Although finally 
confiscated by the Crown in the year 1608, we find a 
oommunity of the Hermits there again in 1641, but 
only for a short time ; they afterwards exercised their 
sacred duties secretly among the Faithful of that district. 
The friary of INMIS-TQR-MOR *i--so called because of the 
crowds of pilgrims visiting St Becan's Well— ^vas in 
the same county : it was the gift of a pious man named 
Thady O'Dowda to the Hermits of St. Augustine, as an 
act of homage to the Most Holy Trinity* When con- 
firming this generous deed in the year 1454, Pope 
Nicholas V. permitted the community to keep a fishing- 
boat on the river dose by ; and to cure and sell the fish 
to help towards the maintenance of their friary. The 
names of Fathers Eugene O'Cormyn and Thady Mac- 
Firbiss are mentioned as the two Hermits to whom 
the charitable O'Dowda granted the lands of Inistormor. 
In the county of Mayo also was the Augustinian friary of 
Erew.^ Alemand was under the impression that no such 
place existed in Connaught ; but, as a matter of fact, 
there was a celebrated monastic establishment on the 
peninsula so called,— which stretches into Lough 

^ ^ Alemand, p. 326 /^. Walsh, pp. 570, 568. 



224 A SECOND THBBAID. 

Con^-built for a community of friars^ although it li 
not said expressly that they were the Hermits of St. 
Augustine. Many eminent Prelate were interred in 
the church of this monastery; special allusion being 
made to Thomas Barrett, Bishop of Elphin — a distin- 
guished Theologian, who died in the year 1404. The 
agents of Queen Elizabeth seized this house eventually ; 
still it is recorded that during the Cromwellian persecu- 
tion some members of the conununity there were 
slain by the heretics under the most shocking cir- 
cumstances ; but neither in this instance are we informed 
whether these Confessors were members of the 
Augustinian Order.** 

It was through the generosity of the O'Dowda family, 
also, that the Aug^ustinians were enabled to establish 
themselves at Ardnary" in the county Sligo. The 
site of the monastery was on the banks of the river Moy, 
not far from the castle of the O'Dowdas. We are told 
that this castle was often assailed and captured by the 
Burkes ; but as frequently retaken by the loyal followers 
of the ancient Irish Sept. In later times, a.d. 1586, 
a great battle was fought here between the Burkes 
of Mayo themselves and the English under the notorious 
Sir Richard Bingham. Burke's Scotch auxiliaries were 
surprised, and put to the sword without mercy. Some 
interesting remains of the monastic church of Ardnary 
are still to be seen on the banks of the Moy. Ruins 
of another Augustinian friary are conspicuous on 
the same river at Bennada,^ also in the county 
Sligo. This house was under the invocation of 
" Corpus Christi, * and owed its origin mainly to 
the efforts of a Father Charles, himself a member 
of the Order, a.d. 1423. The buildings appear to have 
been spacious ; still the plunderers of monastic property 
in the time of James the First are said not to have 

» Walth, p. 509. *«* AfchdaU, pp. 625-638. 




LROTIIKR AX(;KLUS OF ST. JOSKPII, O.D.C. I). 237.) 



THE AUGUSTINIANS. 22$ 

profited greatly by their sacrilegious seizure of this 
friary. Father Lubin assures us that the Hermits had 
yet another foundation in the same county at Bally- 
SADARE,** occupying the site — a very charming one, 
according to the " Four Masters,* on the river Uncian, 
" the beautiful stream of the salmon/— of a great abbey 
established there in the seventh century by St Fechin. 
Other writers, however, say that this monastery be- 
longed to the Canons Regular ; and inform us, moreover, 
that there was in the same place, close by, a community 
of nuns following * the Rule of St. Augustine.* These 
writers also state that there was a flourishing community 
in the monastery of Ballysadare when suppressed during 
the reign of Queen Elizabeth. While severely censuring 
the Augustinian authors for tr3ang to justify such 
claims, even accusing them of corrupting the Irish 
names of places, we find Alemand himself identif3nng 
Ballysadare with Ballindune — not by any means the 
first serious mistake of this kind he has made in his 
work on our ancient monasteries. Father Lubin further 
assures us that there were friaries of the Order at 
Roscommon, Athlone, and Derane in the county 
Roscommon ; but we have already explained in what 
sense this writer would, probably, have tis understand 
the nature of the title of the Hermits to foundations 
more generally ascribed to the Canons Regular. 

However, in a number of cases. Father Lubin 
positively asserts that the monasteries alluded to were 
originally established for the Augustinian Friars ; 
yet without assigning the probable date, or the names 
of the founders : thus, uith regard to the monastery 
of MuCKNOE,^ on the lake of the same name in the county 
Monaghan, we are merely told that many distinguished 
persons were interred in the adjoining church. He 
speaks, too, of a house founded for the Hermits at 

"^Alemand, p. 327 x^. Walsh, pp. 643, 613. 



226 A SECOND THEBAID, 

Clones* county Monaghan, where there was certainly 
an abbey of the Canons Regular ; and mentions several 
other monasteries supposed to have been built for the 
Augustinians in different parts of the same county. 
If, however, other authors are not inclined to acknow- 
ledge more than twenty-four or twenty-six foxmdations 
of the Irish Hermits of St Augustine, all freely admit 
the probability of there having been several houses, 
at least, of which no satisfactory account has come down 
to us ; owing to the causes so frequently alluded to in 
the course of the present narrative. 

We have said that it was not until after the suppression 
of the English monasteries, that the Augustinian friaries 
in Ireland were formed into an independent Province, — 
A.D. 1556 ; nor is there any record of the nuns of this 
Order having been introduced into the country before 
the later Penal Times, when a convent was opened for 
them in DUBUN,* and another in the dty of Galwa7.^ 
A raid was made on the latter house in the year 1731 
by the Mayor of Galway, who reported to the authorities 
that the nuns had all escaped ; he only found the servants 
there. About the same time (a.d. 1739), the Irish 
Augustinians founded a monastery in Rome, which 
proved of vast service to the Province in after years. 
The part taken by the Hermits in the great struggle 
for the Faith, from the suppression of their homes 
throughout the country until Catholic Emancipation, 
was, we may add, well worthy of the traditions of the 
heroic zeal of their predecessors in former times. 

"Alemao'l, p.33a Walsh, p. 613. » <® Burke, p. 7Sa 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE ORDER OF CARMEL. 

It is merely to complete this series of brief notices on the 
ancient monasteries of Ireland, that we deem it necessary 
to include an account of the Irish Carmelites in our 
narrative, having already treated the subject at length 
in another place.^ Indeed, it was the encouraging 
appreciation of his former work that enabled the 
author to attempt the somewhat difficult task — so 
hard did he find it at times to reconcile the conflicting 
statements of different annalists — of establishing more 
fully the nation's beautiful title of *• A Second Thebaid." 
However, although the facts about to be set forth in this 
chapter have, for the greater part, been submitted 
to the public in " Carmel in Ireland,* we thought 
it advisable to insert them here in another form ; and 
so as to comprise passing reference to the various 
foundations made by the Teresian, or Discalced 
Carmelites. 

At a certain remote epoch in their history, the members 
of the Order of Carmel were monks, strictly so called ; 
and not Mendicant Friars, as they now rank in the 
Church owing to the action of several Sovereign Pontiffs. 
Still further back, they had led the eremitical mode of 
life in Eastern deserts. Their origin is familiar to 
Catholics — to Christians generally, so great the influence 
of the spirit of Carmel in every age. A popular and 
well-established tradition assigns the Prophet Elias as 
the first Founder of the Order, the proofs of this claim 

1 " Cannel in Ireland : with Supplement." (New Edition : Dublin, 1903). 



223 A SECOND THEBAID. 

being far more satisfactory than those usually adduced 
by historians in evidence of facts of a similar kind. Even 
the names of Doctors of the Church— such as Saints 
Basil and Chrysostom — ^are quoted to lend their 
authority to the position of the Carmelite writers in 
tracing the descent of their Institute from the glorious 
Thesbite, who flourished about nine himdred years 
before the coming of Our Lord. Hostile critics have 
ever persisted in misunderstanding the nature of the 
^ claim ; but the effect of the many controversies, which 
inevitably arose, was only to strengthen the ancient 
tradition, and to increase to a marvellous d^ree the 
roll of those professing themselves clients of Carmd's 
Queen. For, from the beginning — centuries before 
they had received their first written Rule — the Car- 
melites were known as * Brothers of the Blessed Virgin." 
This distinctive title they owed to their special devotion 
to the Mother of God, which had been transmitted in 
the Order, generation after generation, from the 
Hermits dwelling on Mount Carmel at the time of the 
birth of the Lord; they themselves having inherited 
the same spirit of filial piety from their predecessors on the 
Holy Mount— back to the days of St. Elias, whose vision 
of that cloud rising from the sea is taken as a type of 
Our Lady's Immaculate Conception.* 

The original Carmelite Rule, written in Gteek, was 
confirmed by John, Patriarch of Jerusalem, A.D. 412 ; 
and simply comprised the pious customs observed 
by the Hermits of Carmel even from the time of the 
Prophets. According to this Rule was governed the 
great Carmelite monastery of St. Anne's, near Jerusalem, 
wherein St. Palladius and several of his companion 
missionaries acquired that spirit of asceticism which 
they were destined to introduce into Ireland. However, 

• " Canntl in Ireland/* di. i. See authorities quoted above, chap. i. 
ffistoin dm Clergi^ voL ii, pp. 292-354. Alemand, p. 331, %q. 



THE ORDER OF CARMEL. ' 229 

it was not until the year 1207 that St. Brocard obtained 
from the Blessed Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem, a 
Latin summary of the ancient Rule, containing every- 
thing essential for the formation of the characteristic 
spirit of a true descendant of those famed Hermits of 
Carmel. Some thirty years later on, when the Saracen 
persecutions began to rage in the East, the Carmelites 
came over to Europe. Their Rule was then further 
modified by Pope Innocent IV., at the prayer of. St. 
Simon Stock — to whom, also, the Blessed Virgin granted 
the wondrous favour of the Brown Scapular. And 
about the same epoch the Carmelites were formally 
constituted one of the Orders of Mendicant Friars, 
their numbers having, in the meantime, multiplied 
to almost an incredible extent throughout the entire 
world. The Rule, thus finally sanctioned, came to 
be known as the * Primitive Carmelite Rule ; " and 
the mitigations afterwards permitted — without being 
obligatory upon any particular member of the Order — 
by Pope Eugene IV., A.D. 1431, implied but a compara- 
tively slight relaxation of the former rigorous mode 
of life. This action was taken by Pope Eugene at the 
instance of many Bishops anxious to have the Carmelites 
in their dioceses, yet fearing that the great austerities 
practised by them should hinder their spirit of zeal ; 
nor did the dispensations so granted interfere at all with 
what was absolutely needful to attain the object of the 
Carmelite's vocation. 

Nevertheless, as early as the year 145 1, those miti- 
gations were, in a considerable measure, voluntarily 
renounced in most monasteries of the Order. This 
Reform was due to the fervour of the Blessed John 
Soreth, who had, moreover, the privilege of obtaining 
the canonical institution of the Carmelite nuns : for 
one of whom God reserved the greater glory of restoring 
the Rule to its full primitive rigour. St. Teresa's 



230 A SECOND THEBAID. 

success in this respect, during the course of the following 
century ([a.d. i 515-1582), was such as to cause the 
whole world to marvel; and men are wondering at 
it still. The burden of her trials and sufferings— in- 
separable from an enterprise of the kind— was shared 
by St. John of the Cross JA.D. 1 542-1 591). The entire 
Order of Carmd did not adopt the Reform thus happily 
inaugurated— the Teresian, or Discalced Carmelites 
being formed into a distinct Congregation eventually; 
but all who wore Her sacred habit gloried in what these 
two great Saints had done in honour of Carmel's Queen. 

However, we are to remember that it was the Carmelites 
observing the Primitive Rule who first came to Ireland, 
long before that dispensation had been granted by Pope 
Eugene. And it may be said that the tradition of 
their austere mode of life is one of the reasons assigned 
for the enthusiastic welcome given to the Teresian Friars, 
as their successors, on the advent of these religious 
to the country early in the seventeenth century. Indeed, 
St. Simon Stock himiself was still living when the first 
colony of " White Friars" — as they were more popularly 
called — came to Ireland ; their spirit of prayer and zeal 
soon obtaining for them a permanent place in the hearts 
of the fervent Irish people; while the doctrine of the 
Brown Scapular, which they preached, made them all 
the more beloved by those who had ever such confidence 
in the power of the Blessed Virgin. 

It cannot be stated, for certain, how many monasteries 
were founded for the Carmelites throughout the country. 
Some writers say that there must have been over thirty ; 
others limit the number to twenty-five. In the present 
instance, also, want of more precise information is 
entirely owing to the destruction of the monastic archives 
wherein were preserved the Registers, and all other 
important documents. A Carmelite foundation is said 
to have been made in Ireland as early as the year 1224 ; 



THE ORDER OF CARMEL, 231 

but the Province was not canonically erected until 
1303, being the eleventh established by the Order after 
the confirmation of the Primitive Rule by Pope Innocent 
the Fourth. By a singular coincidence, the same place 
is occupied among the Provinces of the Teresian Reform 
by that of the Irish Discalced Carmelites. 

It seems that there was some difficulty about the 
opening of the first Carmelite friary in the city of 
Dublin,* arising from a dispute over the plot of ground 
which had been granted as a site for the new monastery. 
King Edward the First himself interposed on behalf 
of the religious ; and Sir Robert Baggot lent valuable 
assistance in furthering the pious project, if he was not 
actually the founder of this house, as some writers say. 
It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. From the ytar 
1274 the community received most generous support 
from the citizens: King Edward III. (A.D. 1335); 
Richard II. (a.d. 1394); Henry IV. — who provided 
for the perpetual maintenance of the chantry — ^a.d. 
1400) ; and a gentleman named John Beck being among 
the chief benefactors of the friars. Important Chapters 
of the Order were held here on various occasions : under 
Father John Suggdaeus in 1320; under the renowned 
David O'Bugey ; and again in 1367 under Father John 
Searle. The Irish Parliament met in the great hall 
of this monastery in the year 1333, when a tragic event, 
resulting in the death of one of the members, occurred 
at the opening session. A Carmelite Archbishop 
occupied the See of Dublin in 1399— Richard Northall, 
who became Lord Chancellor of Ireland later on. His 
successor, Thomas Cranley, was another distinguished 
member of the Order ; he had held the office of Chancellor 
to the University of Oxford before his elevation to the 
Episcopate. Many learned White Friars were members 
of the Dublin community; and several of them too!c 
*ArchdaIl,p. 31.^ 



232 A SECOND TUEBAID. 

an active part in the movement to secure a University 
for Ireland in the year 1475.^ Father William Kelly 
was prior of this house at the time of the Suppression 
(a J). IS43X when all the monastic property passed into 
the hands of Nicholas Stanehurst; but Sir Francis 
Aungier was in possession during the reign of Queen 
Elizabeth ; and in 1733 a theatre stood on the site of 
the ancient monastery — to be replaced, however, at a 
still more recent date by the present church of the 
Carmelites of White Friar Street. 

But long before even the CromweUian epoch, the glory 
of Carmel, in all its pristine splendour, was revived in 
Dublin by a community of the Teresian Friars, whose 
first members, two fervent young priests, are best known 
as Fathers Edward of the Kings and Paul of St. Dbaldus 
(A.D. 1625). The labours, the trials, and the victories 
of these two zealous Discalced Carmelites are recorded 
in another place, where the story of their persevering 
struggle is told; and it is shown how they succeeded 
in accomplishing the object which they had at heart 
on setting out from the college of their Order at Louvain : 
to establish a branch of the Teresian Reform in their 
native land.^ This they happily achieved, notwith- 
standing the various persecutions raised against Catholics 
from the time of Charles I. until after the Restoration ; 
several of the Discalced Carmelites of the Dublin com- 
munity having, in the meanwhile, laid down their 
lives for the Faith. Among these heroic Confessors was 
Brother Peter of the Mother of God, a holy lay-brother 
whose edifying life and death proved so efficacious 
in encouraging the Catholics of Dublin to resist their 
fanatical persecutors (a.D. 1643.) 

A Carmelite monastery of considerable importance 
was erected at KlLDARE^ by William (or Richard) de Vesd, 

* ** HiberniA Donunicana," p. 193. 

*" Carmel in IreUnd : with SapfJement." 

• Archdall, p. 331, 



THE ORDER OF CARMEL. 233 

A.D. 1290. Like most houses of the White Friars 
in Ireland, it was popularly known as ** the Abbey " — 
a title which, as already explained, seems to have been 
regarded as a term of endearment among the Irish 
people. The present Carmelite friary of Kildare is 
supposed to occupy the site of the original edifice. Father 
Ralph Kelly, afterwards Archbishop of Cashel, was a 
member of the community there. He it was who 
fearlessly rebuked King Edward III. for having 
dared to trespass on certain privileges of the Episcopate ; 
but his determined action was the subsequent cause of 
much suffering to the zealous Prelate, whose memory, 
likewise, prejudiced critics try to vilify. However, 
not alone was he a learned writer on Theology and Canon 
Law, but he gained greatest renown by the holiness of 
his life and by his spirit of true patriotism (A.D. 1361).^ 
Another celebrated Carmelite of the friary of Kildare 
was Father David O'Bugey, known in history as ** the 
light and glory of Ireland,* by reason of his extraordinary 
sanctity and learning. He discharged all the important 
offices to which he had been elected with greatest pru- 
dence and zeal ; but he could never be prevailed upon 
to accept any of the various dignities offered to him 
by successive Pontiffs and Kings : he deemed such 
honours incompatible with the state of a poor friar. 
His advice, however, was always at the disposal of those 
seeking his aid ; for he was frequently consulted on 
matters of vital importance to the welfare of both Church 
and State in Ireland. He flourished from about the 
year 1320, dying, at length, " full of years and honours." 
His remains were interred within the cloister at Kildare. 
The friary of Cloncurry,* county Kildare, was built 
for the Carmelites in the year 1347 by a gentleman 
named John Roche, who had succeeded in securing 
the King's permission to undertake this meritorious 
* Wal&h, p. 303 <fS^->4S7. Ware's ** Bishops," p. 478, x^. 



234 A SECOND THKBAIO. 

work. A great battle was fought dose by in 1405, 
between the English and the native Irish Septs, when 
the church and monastery of the Carmelites were des- 
troyed by fire. But the buildings were afterwards 
restored by the people themselves; and the religious 
life was led there fervently until the i8th of January, 
1544— the date of the plunder of this friary by the 
agents of King Henry the Eighth. The possessions of 
the community were first bestowed on William Dickson 
to be held by military service; but during the reign 
of Queen Elizabeth they were handed over to Richard 
Slane at a mere nominal rent ; and now only a few ruined 
walls in the graveyard of Qoncurry mark the site of 
this once famous monastery. 

It was through the good offices of William de Londres, 
Archbishop of Dublin, that the White Friars were en- 
abled to open a house at Athbov,* county Meath. He 
obtained the necessary sanction of Parliament, on the 
17th of October, 13 17, to offer the Carmelites a site 
for their proposed monastery and church. Among 
the Bishops of Meath there was a member of the Order 
named William de Paul, appointed by Pope John XXIL, 
and consecrated at Avignon, A.D. 1327.* This Prelate 
was distinguished for his great virtue as well as for his 
learning : he had taken the Doctor's degree both at 
Oxford and in Paris; and had been elected superior 
of the English and Scotch Carmelites at the General 
Cliapter held in Genoa, A.D. 1324. His death occurred 
in the year 1349. A Chapter of the Order met at 
Athboy in 1325, presided over by Father John Boxam, 
superior of the Irish Carmelites, apparently. In 1372 
the members of this community were sued for not 
having complied with certain legal formalities on 
receiving a donation of land. Another Chapter was 
convened at Athboy in 1409 ; the next record of this 

M Walsli, pix 4SO-590. * Notb : To Pope John XXII. was revealed 
the great favour known as the '* Sabbatine Indulgence." 



TIIE ORDER OF CARMEL. 235 

house being that of its suppression in the time of 
King Henry the Eighth, who bestowed it upon a man 
named Thomas Casey. Some ruins of the ancient 
church still remain. 

It is very probable that the foundation made for the 
Teresian Friars at Athboy during the reign of Charles I. 
was merely a restoration of the monastery built for their 
predecessors there in the fourteenth century. For 
at least four of the original Carmelite friaries were 
purchased for the religious of the Teresian Reform, 
who received special Papal sanction to avail themselves 
of their benefactors' generosity in this respect. At 
all events the Discalced Carmelites are known to have 
laboured zealously at Athboy until the Puritan per- 
secution, when they were obliged to seek refuge in 
the woods and caves : not that the fact of their having 
to do so implied less activity in the discharge of their 
missionary duties during the Penal Times. 

The monastery of the White Friars at Ardee,** county 
Ix>uth, dated from the reign of King Edward the First, 
and owed its origin to the piety of a certain Ralph 
Pippard. It appears to have been burned down by the 
soldiers of Robert Bruce in the year 131 5 ; a number of 
helpless men, women, and children perishing in the 
church on that occasion. But in this instance, also, 
the injury done to the sacred edifice and doister was 
speedily repaired by the Faithful ; and a Chapter 
assembled there under Father John Suggdaeus in 1320; 
while again, in 1489, the Irish Carmelites met at Ardee 
to discuss matters of importance relating to the welfare 
of their Province. When the plague was raging in 
Drogheda, A.D. 1504, Octavian de Palatio, Archbishop 
of Armagh, convoked a Synod at Ardee, the meetings 
being held in this monastery. A religious named 

>* Alenuind, p. 234. See "Carmel in Ireland : with Supplement/' for 
references made to the Discalced Carmelites. 



236 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Patrick was prior when the house fell into the hands 
of those sent to plunder the community by the 
agents of Henry the Eighth. Its after-history, 
however, is extremely interesting ; for, undoubtedly, 
the dilapidated buildings were secured for the Dis- 
calced Carmelites sometime in the year 1638. A Father 
Michael, and a student called Brother Columbanus 
had previously come to take charge of the ruined 
monastery ; and soon a flourishing conmiunity of the 
Tercsian Friars were perpetuating there the traditions 
of the Carmelites who first came to Ireland, living 
according to the austere Primitive Rule. These two 
religious had themselves a very distinguished, if eventful 
career on the Irish mission; and, afterwards, on the 
Continent whither they were obliged to betake themsdves 
during the Cromwellian persecution. There is a precious, 
and most interesting relic of this monastery still pre- 
served in the present coll^;e of the Discalced Carmelites 
at Dublin : an historical work which once belonged 
to the library of the Teresian Friars at Ardee. Probably 
it was given to one of the Fathers on his leaving 
Bclgrium for Ireland, sometime in the year 1640. 

The Carmelites had another foundation in the county 
Louth at Droghkda.^^ But beyond the fact of its 
having been built by the citizens themselves during 
the course of the thirteenth century and dedicated 
to the Blessed Virgin — ^the site chosen being on the 
banks of the Boyne — ^nothing is known concerning the 
history of this monastery. It is by no means improbable, 
however, that this house, also, was one of the four 
•Old Abbeys* occupied by the Discalced Carmelites 
in after years ; if so, its later annals are quite as interesting 
as those of the Teresian friary at Ardee. For the Dis- 
calced Fathers were established in Drogheda at an early 

"Archdall makes «d mention of this house, (ppk. 452-460). Ware» 
'^ Antiquities/* p. 90. Alcmand, p. 234. Lewis, vol. L, p. 502. 



THE ORDER OF CARMEL. 237 

date after their arrival in Ireland; and most of their 
number who became distinguished for their zeal through- 
out the Puritan persecution had studied for the priest- 
hood in the college of their Province founded in that 
{dace. The celebrated Teresian Theologian — Father 
Laurence of St. Teresa— was a native of Drogheda, 
and joined the Order of Carmel there. And the two 
glorious Discalced Carmelite Confessors— Father Thomas 
Aquinas, a Jesu, and Brother Angdus of St. Joseph 
— were both members of this community. The latter 
was still a young student when arrested for the 
** crime * of being a monk, after the city had been taken 
by the Puritans. He escaped, but was seized again 
almost immediately ; and this time was put to a cruel 
death, because they could not prevail on him either by 
threats or bribes to deny his Faith and the monastic 
profession (a.d. 1642.) Father Thomas Aquinas was a 
very successful preacher whose zeal among the persecuted 
Catholics soon excited the bitterest hatred of the Puritan 
fanatics. He was at length constrained to deliver himself 
into the hands of his enemies in order that he might 
shield those with whom he had heretofore found refuge 
from his persecutors' vengeance. Without so much 
as the pretence of trial, he was hanged outside Drogheda ; 
his remains being afterwards laid to rest within the 
ruins of the Augustinian friary by the devoted Catholics 
of the city (a.d. 1642.) 

About the time the Carmelites throughout Europe 
resumed the wearing of their beautiful white mantle — 
which had been interdicted in the East, owing to the 
petty jealousy of the Saracen Knights — a monastery 
was established for the Order at Leighun-Bridge," 
county Carlow, by a member of the Carew family: 
King Henry HI. being then on the English Throne. 
The site chosen was extremely picturesque ; the various 

MArchcUai,pL38. 



238 A SECOND THEBAID. 

buildings solid and spadoiis; and generous provision 
was made for the support of the community by pious 
benefactors— Kings Edward III. and Richard II., being 
also well disposed towards the friars there. It was 
plundered during the reign of Henry VIII. ; and in 
the following century became the centre of military 
operations, when the waters of the river Barrow reflected 
" naught save matchlocks and iron skull-caps," instead 
of the cowls and scapulars of the religious passing to 
and fro, silently, in discharge of the sacred duties of their 
state. A Discalced Carmelite missionary, named Father 
Agapitus of the Holy Ghost — who laboured zealously 
in the several counties of Leinster while Cromwell was 
still in power — has left us a thrilling narrative of what 
the exercise of the ministry implied for the Irish priest 
in those dread times. Yet it was not their trials and 
sufferings — hunted like wolves, through forests, on the 
hills, and over treacherous moors — ^that grieved those 
heroic missionaries at all : it was the sight of so many 
homes of holiness, such as the friary of Leighlin-Bridge, 
desecrated by the godless soldiery, whose ribald songs 
now echoed everywhere in the doisters once hallowed 
by voices consecrated in the service of prayer. 

Under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin, the 
Carmelite friary of LiTTLE-HoRTON,'** coimty Wexford, 
dated from about the end of the fourteenth century, 
when it was built by the members of the Furlong family. 
The property of this community was granted to Sir 
John Davis at the Suppression ; but afterwards it 
appears to have passed into the hands of a man named 
Francis Talbot. 

Mere mention is made of the friary which the Carmdites 
had at ArdnaC31ANNA," county Westmeath. It is sup- 
posed to have been established in the course of the 

"Archdall, p. 747. "Hoartown,"— Walsh, p. 707. 
**Alemand, p. 336* 



THE ORDER OF CARMEL. 239 

fourteenth century by Robert Dillon, the founder 
of a Dominican monastery in the same county. 

In the King's County, there was a Carmelite foundation 
at Frankford,^* or Kilcormic. This house was a gift 
to the Blessed Virgin from Aedh (Odo) O'MoUoy, chief 
of the sept, who died on the feast of St. Remig^us, A.D. 
1454 ; and was buried in the church of the monastery. 
Father Edward Bracken's death occurred . there in 
1467: he had held the office of prior at Frankford for 
some time. Other interesting obits are to be found 
in the " Kilcormic Missal,* written in the same friary 
by Dermot O'Flanagan of the Carmelite monastery of 
Loughrea, when Father Edward O'Higgins was prior 
of Frankford (a.d. 1457). This most interesting MS. is 
still preserved in the library of Trinity College, Dublin. 
After this friary had been seized and plundered by the 
royal agents, the monastic lands were granted to Robert 
Leister, one of the favourites of King Henry the Eighth. 

Some writers are of opinion that the friary of Knock- 
TOPIIER,^* county Kilkenny, was the first foundation 
made for the Carmelites in Ireland, the year 1356 
being the date assigned. But it is quite certain that 
many, if not by far the greater number of the monas- 
teries of the Irish White Friars, were built in the 
thirteenth century — one, probably, having been 
founded as early as the year 1224. James, Second 
Earl of Ormond — ^head of the Butler family — was the 
principal benefactor of the Knocktopher friary, which 
according to several authors, was under Our Lady's 
patronage ; but Alemand assures us that it was dedicated 
to Saint Saviour, whose famous shrine in the church 
there attracted great crowds of pilgrims from all parts 
of Ireland. We are informed, moreover, that this 

" Ibidem, p. 335. " Royal Irish Actdemy Transactions," pL x., June, 
1901. 

*• Alemand, p. 334. Walsh, p, 500. 



240 A SECOND THEBAID. 

monastery became a most important centre of the Irish 
Carmelites ; although so little is known of its history. 
It seems that Father Henry Brown was prior there 
in 1396 ; and that the same office was held by a Father 
William in the year 1543, when the inevitable allusion 
is made to its suppression. Several Carmelite Bishops 
occupied the See of Ossory, among them Richard Northall, 
of whom mention has already been made ; and Thomas 
Peverill, or Pierevill (a.d. 1393), who had a great re- 
putation for sanctity, and was, later on, translated to 
LandafE in Wales, and eventuaUy to the diocese of 
Worcester. The remains of this holy Prelate were 
interred in the Carmelite church at Oxford (a.d. 141 8), 
which stood dose to the University wherein he himself 
had taken his Doctor's dq^ee. Sir Patrick Bamwall 
got a grant of the lands and buildings of St Saviour's 
at the dissolution of the Irish monasteries. Some 
interesting ruins of this ancient friary still remain. 
It does not appear that the Carmelites had a foundation 
in the city of Kilkenny from the beginning ; but there 
was a flourishing commimity of the Teresian Friars 
there at the time of the great Catholic Confedera- 
tion ; and their monastery gained much notoriety owing 
to the fact of Father John Rowe — Provincial of the 
Discalced Carmelites — having been called upon to take 
a very prominent part in public affairs. Of course 
it shared the fate of the other Teresian friaries during 
the Cromwellian persecution, the members of the 
community being driven into exile for the most part ; 
others, no doubt, eventually receiving the Martyr's palm 
and crown. 

The Carmelite friary of Rathbcullen,^^ county Donegal, 
seems to have been the most important foundation 
made for the White Friars in the North of Ireland. 
Its origin may be traced to the piety of MacSweeny 

^ Arohdal], (Ed. 1876), voL i., p. 313, sf. Lewis, voU ii., p. 505. 



THE ORDER OF CARMEL. 24 1 

Fannid, early in the fourteenth century, who placed 
it under the protection of our Lady. Picturesquely 
situated on Lough Swilly, this monastery is frequently 
referred to by the Annalists in connection with that 
memorable episode in Irish history known as " the 
Flight of the Earls " (a.d. 1607.) Portion of the ancient 
friary remains ; and the interesting ruins of the Gothic 
church arc still fairly well preserved ; so that one might 
easily fancy the sacred edifice surrounded by those 
austere buildings contained within the cloister : the 
great hall and library ; the cells, and spacious refectory ; 
and the other apartments included in the plan usually 
adopted in the construction of the Carmelite monasteries 
throughout Ireland. Among the Carmelite Bishops 
appointed to Sees in the North, we find the name of 
William Quaplod, an Englishman, chosen for the 
diocese of Derry. However, we are merely informed 
that he had graduated at Oxford, and died in 1422 — ^three 
years after his consecration. Other English Carmelites 
were nominated to Irish Bishoprics, which only served 
as Titular Sees; and it is doubtful whether these 
Prelates ever came to the country at all. Thus, there 
were at least three White Friar Bishops of Dromore — 
David Cherbury, A.D. 143 1, Thomas Bradley, A.D. 1450 ; 
and Richard M)^ius, A.D. 1457 — ^who do not appear 
to have governed that diocese in person.^* 

Very little is known of the history of the various 
Carmelite friaries established in the south of Ireland ; 
hardly anything beyond the fact of their having been 
founded either in the thirteenth or early in the 
fourteenth century ; and of their having been all sup- 
pressed by the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. 
There was certainly a house of the Order in the city 
of CORK,^* which dated from sometime in the fourteenth 
century ; and in the county of the same name the De 

»Comparc"Waic'sBishops"(IIftrris),p.26o,x^. "-^^Walshjpp. 390,385,303. 

B 



^43 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Barrys are said to have built a monastery for the White 
Friars at Castlelvons.** The Carmelites of KiNSALE," 
also in the county Cork, held themselves indebted for 
their friary to Robert FitzRichard Balra)nie; or 
at least he was one of their most generous benefactors 
[A.D. 1350). On the north side of that town a few 
crumbling walls still bear witness to the barbarous 
spirit of those who plundered this monastery during 
the reign of King Henry the Eighth. The Discalced 
Carmelites established themselves at Kinsale in after 
ages; and laboured very successfully on the mission 
there during the Penal Times. For the fervent practice 
of the Primitive Rule of Carmd, although implying 
the contemplative life as the principal part of his 
vocation, by no means hinders — is rather an incentive 
to — the true White Friar's missionary real. In all 
probability the Teresian monastery of Kinsale was 
one of the religious establishments first raided by that 
ruthless band of Puritan adventurers, licensed by 
Parliament to seize the property of Catholics in 
different parts of Ireland — especially in the South. 
So great was their hatred of priests and f riars, that their 
companions elsewhere, after having put one of our Irish 
Confessors to death, boasted that they had ''cut him 
in pieces as small as flesh for the pot." 

The monastery of Thurles** seems to have been 
the only Carmelite foundation made in the county 
Tipperary. It dated from the year 1300, having been 
erected by the Butler family in honour oNf Our Lady 
of Mount Carmd. Part of the ruined church is still 
to be seen, but, of course, affords no idea of the magnifi- 
cent structure seized at the Suppression by Thomas, 
Earl of Ormond. This nobleman, in his sacrilegious 
avarice, would thus deprive Father Donagh O'Howl^han, 
the prior, and his community of the home provided for 

^Alemand, p. 336, 



THE ORDER OF CAR^IEL. 243 

the White Friars of Thurles in the beginning by the 
pious ancestors of the Ormonds. 

In the county Limerick, the O'Molloys founded a 
Carmelite monastery at Ballywilliam** ; and the Roches 
one at Balunegall,^ both dating from early in the 
fourteenth century. Father O'Daugane was prior of 
the latter house at the time of the Suppression : he 
and the other members of his community having been 
driven forth, in order that the trustees of Trinity Qjllege, 
Dublin, might increase the revenues of an institution 
primarily designed to foster the new heresy in Ireland. 
No mention is made of a foundation of the Order in the 
City of Limerick prior to that of the Discalced Carmelites, 
which dated from the reign of Charles the First. It is not 
improbable that the Teresian friary there was plundered 
in one of those Puritan raids : but it is quite certain that 
the Discalced Carmelites were living in community 
in this dty s^;ain in still later times. From a 
document written by one of the Teresian Friars of 
Limerick (and included in the Supplement to " Carmel 
in Ireland*), we learn that the Provincial Chapter was 
held in their monastery there ; although the assembled 
Fathers could hear the roar of the cannon trained 
by the enemy against the city walls ; and expected 
hourly that they themselves should be at the mercy 
of the hostile soldiery, in which case they had little hope 
of escaping the halter or sword (a.D. 1649). In face 
of evidence of this kind, it is surprising to find Alemand 
commit himself to those erroneous statements which 
he has made concerning the establishment of the 
different friaries of the Irish Discalced Carmelites. This 
writer might easily have obtained accurate information 
relative to the state of the Order in Ireland by applying 

*■■* " Appendix Monastica," (Barke), p. 752. We are told, moreorer, 
that Nellan O'MoUoy established a Carmelite monastery at Milltown 
county Limerick. Walsli, p< 53i> 



244 A SECOND THEBAID. 

to any of the numerous monasteries of the several 
Provinces in France, where many of the Irish Fathers 
were well known to their brethren in Religion-— as we 
are assured by various contemporary authors. 

The White Friars had three foundations in the county 
Mayo: one on Clarb-Island,^ established by the O'Malleys 
' — ancestors of the renowned Grace, or Granu-Weal 
(" Graine-ni-Uhaile ") — and dedicated to the Blessed 
Virgin (a.d. 1224). This monastery was eventually 
transferred, by Papal authority, to the Cistercians of 
Abbeyknockmoy in the county Galway. Then there 
was the Carmelite friary of Borriscarra,* which Pope 
John XXIII. granted to the Augustinians in 141 2. 
And that of Ballinismale,*^ built by the Prendergast 
family in the year 1356. The O'Gara is said to have 
founded a monastery for the White Friars at Knockmore * 
in the county Sligo ; while in the county Galway, besides 
the well-known " Abbey " of Loughrea, there was a 
house of the Order at Crevebane,** generously supported 
by the De Burgos : after the Suppression this friary 
was bestowed by Queen Elizabeth on the municipal 
authorities of Athenry. Sometime during the four- 
teenth century the head of the Birmingham family, 
Lord Athenry, built a Carmelite monastery at Pallice,** 
which passed into the possession of a man named John 
Kawson in the year 1589. Within the city of Galway,*^ 
also, the White Friars hadahouse of which the De Burgos 
were the principal benefactors — ^the only item of in- 
formation that has come down to us concerning this 
foundation. 

The Discalced Carmelites had an important house 
in the city of Galway in the reign of Charles the First. 
And as in the case of the Teresian Friars of Kilkenny, 

»^ Walsh, pp. 564, 563, 558, 653, 454, 467, 457. The O'FUherty 
is said to have lounded a house for the White Friars at Ballyna- 
UINCH, also in the county Galway (A.D. 1356). Walsh, p 451* 



THE ORDER OF CARMEL. 245 

this community receives a good deal of attention from 
the Annalists ; because of their position when strained 
relations are said to have existed between the Papal 
Nuncio, Rinuccini, and many of the Confederate 
Catholics. We ourselves have had occasion in another 
place, to explain away — on the evidence of contemporary 
Teresian Carmelites — ^what certain writers would have 
us regard as the cause of much bitterness among the 
contending parties ; and to show that not rancour, but 
an edifying spirit of fraternal charity animated those 
said to have been so hostilely opposed concerning the 
various points at issue. However, the controversy — 
such as it was — ^had hardly yet been brought to a close 
before the Discalced Carmdites of Galway shared the 
fate of the other religious communities in that city at the 
time of the Puritan persecution : some of the friars 
escaping to the Continent, there to wait an early oppor- 
tunity of returning to the labours of the mission in their 
native land ; others contriving to discharge their sacred 
duties secretly among the Faithful of the surrounding 
districts ; and not a few being cast into prison, often a 
far worse penalty than even the most violent death. 
But, by all accounts, the friary established at LOUGHREA** 
county Galway, in the year 1300, was the principal 
Carmelite foundation in the West of Ireland. It owed 
its origin to Richard De Burgo — of the same family 
as that apostate Earl of Qanricarde, who obtained 
a grant of the monastic lands and buildings at the 
Suppression. Nevertheless, it was owing to the action 
of a Catholic member of this family — taken at the urgent 
representation of a number of friends of the Teresian 
Friars — that the ruined monastery passed again into 
the possession of the Order of the Blessed Virgin 
during the course of the seventeenth century. A 
certain rent, however, was demanded for the dilapidated 

*" Archdall, p. 293, 



246 A SECOND THEBAID. 

buildings and an adjoining plot of ground ; a condition 
with which the generous benefactors of the Discalccd 
Carmelites were only too happy to comply. The Earl 
of Ganricarde, who interested himsdf in the welfare of 
the new community, soon took the field, in person, 
against the notorious Sir Charles Coote, the Parlia- 
mentarian President of Connaught ; and an eventful 
campaign ensued.** Meanwhile, the Regular Life, 
according to the Primitive Rule of Carmd, was led 
in the friary at Loughrea as fervently as if the very 
existence of the Teresian Fathers there did not depend 
on the success of that final appeal which had been made 
to arms. The eventual fate of these religious was 
similar to that 6f the community dwelling in the Abbey 
when plundered by the agents of King Henry the Eighth ; 
only Cromwell's system of " thoroughness * in uprooting 
the Catholic Faith and Monasticism in Ireland was 
carried out in such wise that not many of the friars 
escaped to labour in secret among the Faithful in 
Loughrea and the neighbouring districts. Still, a few 
did succeed in evading the vigilance of their persecutors 
until the Restoration epoch, when we find them, or 
their successors on the mission, occupying the ancient 
monastery again down to the time of the battle of 
Aughrim (a.d. 1691.) 

Throughout the dread Penal Days the Teresian 
Friars, if not always actually living within the ruins, 
were to be found close by— struggling amid every 
trouble and privation (often forced to flee to the woods 
at the priest-hunter's approach) to perpetuate the zeal 
of those Carmelites who had come to that town by the 
• Gray Lake " long before the granting of the Miti- 
gation to the Order by Pope Eugene. Eventually, 
they deemed it a signal favour to be suffered to build 
a little cabin for themselves in sight of the sad ruins 

••" Chnrioardc's Memoirs.*' (London : A.D. 1757). 




^ 



:.>Iji^:fKnMi\q( Ays \\s/ \/ f ji m:m hh)\{ m iV s/ riKx ii£.mi\3! 






HKOTIIKk rKTKK OK 



TlIK MOTHER OK GOD, O.IU:. 

P 232.) 



THE ORDER OF CARMEL. 247 

of their former home; whence, but still secretiy, they 
could continue to exercise their sacred ministry for the 
consolation of the pious Faithful so loyal to them in 
all their trials. At length, while yet those terrible laws 
were in full force, they erected a humble friary on part 
of the site of the original monastery; only portion 
of the ruins of the ancient church now remained. That 
modest structure has been utilized in the plan of the 
present spacious friary, completed within quite recent 
years. And this house serves as the present novitiate for 
the Irish Province of Discaloed Carmelites ; whereas, in 
the beginning, aspirants to the Order were received and 
professed in the Dublin monastery, after the destruction 
of which by the Puritan fanatics it was deemed expedient 
to admit the postulants at Loughrea. As late as the 
year 1882, the novitiate was formally reK>pened there 
on the occasion of a Visitation made in Ireland by his 
Eminence, Cardinal Gotti, then General of the Dis- 
calced Carmelites. This canonical act forms a most 
important, as well as a very auspicious event in the 
interesting annals of the " Abbey." 

Such are the foundations of the Irish Carmelites 
usually alluded to by our Anndists. It is probable, 
however, that there were other houses of the Order 
in Ireland of which all record has been lost owing 
to those causes which even non-Catholic writers are 
wont to deplore : the wholesale destruction of monastic 
archives either in the time of Henry VIII. ; or of Queen 
Elizabeth ; or of King James. But the struggles and 
sufferings of those unknown communities of White 
Friars at the Suppression must have been such as the 
Irish religious generally were called upon to endure. 

Happily, within the past few years, many documents 
have come to light which reveal more fully the sacrifices 
made by the Friars of the Teresian Reform while planting 
anew, in all the vigour of the Primitive Observance, 



248 A SECOND THEBAID. 

the * Vine of Carmel * in Ireland.** Their zeal extended 
to the establishment of a monastery of their own on 
the Continent, wherein they should find a sure refuge 
when no longer able, for a time, to dwell in community 
in their native land by reason of the rigour of the Penal 
Laws. They wished, moreover, to utilize this house 
in the meantime — if necessary — as a college for their 
own subjects who were to succeed the missionaries already 
engaged in a heroic work of charity among the Irish 
Faithful, after those zealous priests had been worn 
out by the perils and privations of the outlawed friar's 
life. A tale of thrilling interest is gathered from these 
documents—chiefly a series of letters written by the 
Teresian missionaries themselves to their Superiors- 
General in Rome — affording a far dearer insight into the 
history of those times (A.D. 1625-1654), than the pages 
of a more formal narrative. Facts, mentioned casually 
as mere matters of course, explain in a very painful 
way the nature of that toleration which Catholics 
are said to have enjoyed in Ireland from the com- 
mencement of the reign of King Charles the First 
In reality the Faithful then suffered a trying persecution. 
Yet, in all their trials, what those Discalced 
Carmelites found it always hardest to bear was their 
being so often hindered observing the austere Rule 
of their Order in every detail. This fervent protest 
frequently occurs in their letters; and they earnestly 
implored their Superiors to pray for a nation subjected 
to an oppression so cruel. We are informed, too, that 
some of the Irish Teresian missionaries laboured in the 
city of London during the protectorate of Oliver 
Cromwell. One of these— a Father Patrick of St 
Brigid — ^has, likewise, left us an important series of letters 

^**A Sapplement to Carmd in Ireland,*' (Dnblin, 1903). For the 
antbentic transcript of several of these Yaluable documents, the author is 
indebted to the kindness of the Rev. Benedict Zimmerman, O.D.C., 
L.ond(Hi. 



THE ORDER OF CARMEL. 249 

dealing with contemporary affairs ; and of an interest 
more absorbing than a thrilling romance. He had long 
exercised the sacred ministry in Ireland before obedience 
summoned him to this new field of action^ where his 
duties lay^ to a considerable extent^ among the Irish 
Catholics in London. But what he and his brother 
missionaries had to endure while hunted from hiding- 
place to hiding-place^ and during the hardships of im* 
prisonment, was the cheerfully borne lot of every other 
Irish priest at that dread epoch; and their heroic 
perseverance was worthily emulated by their successors 
in a subsequent equally harrowing age. 

It may safely be said that the spirit of Carmd, charac- 
teristic of the holy virgins Euphrasia and Euphrosyne 
about the time of our own St. Brigid^ animated countless 
numbers of those pious Irishwomen of every rank — 
only too eager to practise the austerities of the monks of 
old, back to the days of St. Palladius. Carmelite nuns 
as such, however, did not appear in Ireland until some- 
time after the establishment of the Province of the Irish 
Teresian Friars. There is a doubt as to the precise date 
of the first foundation made for theseSisters in the country, 
the year 1680 being usually assigned for the opening of 
a convent at LOUGHREA." The author of the " Hibernia 
Dominicana" assures us that an aunt of his own was 
foundress of this house ; but we do not find the fact 
mentioned by a Discaloed Carmelite writer who has 
recorded the names of a number of, presumably, the 
first Teresian nuns in Ireland. A vague tradition, 
impossible to verify, is to the effect that a convent, known 
to have existed in the city of LiMERiCK early in the 
eighteenth century, was the mother-house of the Irish 
Carmelite Sisters ; and it is quite certain that there were 
also nunneries of the Order in the cities of Dublin and 
Cork during the Penal Times. 

* See Lewis, vol, ii, p. 317. Burke (" Appendix Mona&tica,*') p. 752, 



250 A SECOND THEBAID. 

From a letter written by the Mother Prioress of the 
Carmelite convent at Bordeaux, on the 12th of May, 
1 726, to a Mother Teresa Bourke at Loughrea, we receive 
a very dear idea of the efforts then being made by the 
spiritual daughters of St. Teresa in Ireland to observe 
the Primitive Rule of Carmd even at the peril of thdr 
laves. For so much as to wear the holy habit of thdr 
Order, within those poor dwdlings occupied by the 
sisters at Loughrea and elsewhere, was an act of 
high treason according to the Law. And we have seen 
how their himible homes were liable to be raided at any 
moment by scoffing offidals — only too anxious for an 
opportunity to annoy, if not to persecute the defencdess 
nuns. Still, from the beginning, courageous young 
Irishwomen fled from the world and the security of thdr 
parents' care in order to sanctify themsdves, at whatever 
risk, by an austere life of prayer in those lowly doisters 
of Carmd. 



CHAPTER XV. 

SUPPRESSION OF THE IRISH MONASTERIES. 

In the foregohig narrative we have had frequent occasion 
to allude to the certainty of the fate of each of those many 
monasteries, no matter what doubts may exist, at times, 
among writers concerning the origin of some particular 
foundation. Our object did not admit of our dwelling 
at length on the details of any of those tragic episodes, 
entering so largely into the history of the Suppression 
in Ireland. But throughout the country the ruins of 
not a few of the ancient abbeys and friaries of our Irish 
Thebaid are still to be seen : * the earnest facts." which 
tdl so eloquently of what the world owed to the friars 
and monks in those far off times ^ ; and recalling the 
deeds of sacrilege wrought when each of these homes of 
prayer and charity was given over to plunder in the 
name of King or Queen. And we are reminded, too — 
since human nature does not change, ever beset by its 
most pressing needs — ^that by the dissolution of these 
religious establishments the welfare of society was 
wantonly imperilled; for the monasteries were the 
centres of that form of civilization which is suitable to 
every age. 

Fortunately, here in Ireland the influence of the 
monastic spirit still persevered to react beneficially on 
social affairs ; and this owing to a cause which the 
originators of the Suppression failed to foresee : the 
Irish people were not to be deceived by the calumnies 
invented to discredit the Religious Orders ; the perse- 

^Carlyle, " Pftst and Present/' as quoted in ** Scotl-Monastioon," p. S. 



252 A SECOND THEBMD. 

cution of the monks and friars only confirmed their 
pious clients all the more in practical allegiance to the 
Faith. The wholesale seizure of Church property revealed 
the true motives which very shame would fain dissemble 
as zeal in the service of an apostate King. 

Indeed, so accustomed had the people of Ireland become 
to suffer oppression at the hands of an English monarch 
since the fatal epoch of the Invasion, that the confiscation 
of monastic lands in the time of Henry VIII. and Queen 
Elizabeth was, in the beginning, regarded by many in 
the light of a great national wrong to be redressed, if 
possible, by the Irish chieftains ; not until the dissolution 
of the English monasteries, also, showed that the King 
had an ulterior and still more dangerous object in view 
did the Catholics of Ireland grow thoroughly alarmed 
for the safety of the treasure of their Faith. Then their 
heroic constancy in defence of Truth added another strik- 
ing argument to those which had already proved their 
country's daim to be considered "A Second Thebaid.* 

Still, Henry VIII. was not the first English King to 
suppress monastic institutions in Ireland and in England. 
Some writers take us back to the time of William Rufus 
— who had inherited his father's vices without the good 
qualities of the Conqueror fA.D. 1087) — to instance how 
abbeys were plundered in the latter country and their 
inmates cruelly oppressed simply to gratify the royal 
avarice. But it is chiefly during the reign of King 
Henry III. that we find the growing influence of the 
Religious Orders an object of envy to the English 
monarch and, equally, to his avaricious nobles. An 
agitation was, accordingly, raised against God's servants, 
resulting in an Act of Parliament which made it illegal 
to bestow a donation of land on any monastery. 

The reasons assigned by Edward the First, and his 
immediate successor, for the suppression of " alien abbeys* 
appeared more specious, at least ; since nearly all these 



SUPPRESSION OF THE IRISH MONASTERIES. 253 

houses owed obedience to superiors residing in France, 
with which country England was then at war. It was 
insinuated that so many foreigners, both in England and 
in Ireland, must needs prove a danger to the interests 
of the British Crown. This argument was often urged 
again in subsequent times. Indeed, we have seen in the 
course of our narrative that a number of the Irish 
monasteries were founded by the Anglo-Norman Invaders 
themselves — ^in a spirit of true remorse, we may hope 
— who frequently introduced communities immediately 
subject to the mother-house of the particular Order in 
France. No notice seems to have been taken of this 
arrangement at first ; but in time of war it was made 
a pretext for the confiscation of the property of ** the 
aliens." However, the communities thus plundered 
appealed to Rome ; and not alone was it declared that 
restitution should be made ; but that not even the King 
would be justified in suppressing monasteries canonically 
established within his Realm, no matter what the nation- 
ality of their inmates. 

Perhaps the most malicious attack of all made on the 
Religious Orders — especially directed against the Friars 
— was that of Wycliflfe and his followers during the reig^ 
of Richard the Second : they entered on a crusade of 
calumny so as to prepare the minds of the ignorant for 
their own heretical opinions. In Ireland they rightly 
despaired of success ; but their calumnies gained credence 
in parts of England, where discontent with the existing 
state of things made many reckless men eager to welcome 
any change likely to afford opportunities for the free 
indulgence of those passions which the restraints of 
Religion alone could subdue. The reason of Wydifle's 
own bitterness against the Friars might be traced to his 
having met at their hands the most humiliating defeats 
in his impious efforts to overthrow Orthodoxy in the 
Christian Church. After the famed Thomas Walden, an 



254 A SECOND THEBAID. 

English Carmelite and confessor to King Henry V., his 
principal opponent in the Schoob was Father John 
Kynyngham — ^Provindal of the English and Irish White 
Friars, whose holiness and learning were such as to 
inspire WyclifTe hixnsdf with awe when foolishly venturing 
to justify his heretical views before the University of 
Oxford. 

We are prepared to find, as a matter of course, all such 
calumnies revived in the reign of Henry VIII. by those 
seconding the King's evil designs on monastic property. 
For, unhappily, instead of having the enormity of his 
conduct brought home to him by another Lanfranc 
— as in the case of William II. — ^this monarch was only 
encouraged by Wolsey to persevere in his crime. But 
in the light of modem historical research (more im- 
partial witnesses having gained access to sources of 
official information denied the public in less tolerant 
times) the true causes of the Suppression appear. And 
not even the professed enemies of the Catholic Church 
and Monasticism may now repeat "those scandalous 
rumours" of bygone ages without manifesting an 
inexcusable ignorance of facts. Not, indeed, that these * 
recent investigations were necessary to convince certain 
Protestant historians of the oying injustice of the royal 
decree proclaiming the monasteries dissolved. Although 
Tanner, among others, would still make a truly pitiful 
attempt to render that story of sacrilege a little less 
shameful; yet is he finally constrained to admit that 
the most urgent reason for the Suppression was the 
King's need of money, and the English people's " willing- 
ness to save their pockets.* ' Furthermore, this writer 
artlessly assures us that, according to the report of the 
very * Visitors," deputed by a royal commission to 
inquire into the truth of those calumnious charges, 
* Religion was right well observed in most of the monas- 

s '< Notitia Monastica," pp. 30-34. 



SUPPRESSION OF THE IRISH MONASTERIES. 255 

teries " ; and, generally, " that the monks were not so 
bad as represented." This might seem faint praise were 
it not that when speaking of the after-effects of the 
Suppression the same authdr grows enthusiastic in his 
admiration of the monastic life. Hence, in holding 
Henry VHI. primarily responsible for the destruction of 
so many religious establishments within his dominions, 
for base motives of his own. Catholic historians may 
not justly be accused of prejudice. 

But it may appear strange that any monarch could 
thus oppress such a number of inoffensive subjects with 
evident impunity — ^for the resistance made by the people 
in some instances was entirely ineffectual, as we shall 
see. To understand this dearly, it will be interesting 
to dwell briefly on the circumstances that enabled Henry 
VIII. to substitute his own will for the Law from the 
time of his rupture with Rome. Among the various 
reasons, direct or indirect, assigned by the authors, 
greatest importance seems to be attached to the almost 
total lapse of the Feudal System in England. For by 
this system the exercise of the royal power was modified 
considerably; inasmuch as the King had to depend 
on the nobility for the maintenance of the prestige 
of his authority. In fact, it was the nobles who 
safe-guarded national loyalty by the example of their own 
submission, impressing the people with a reverential awe 
for the majesty of the King. At the same time they 
were by no means afraid to vindicate, whenever necessary, 
not alone the privil^es of their Order, but even the rights 
of their humblest vassals as defined by Charter. 

As might be expected, no matter what the mutual 
advantages of such a system, it frequently led to jealousy 
on the monarch's part at what sometimes appeared 
nothing short of an usurpation of the royal pren^atives. 
And the King, especially in England, did not hesitate 
to avail himself of every opportunity of weakening an 



256 A SECOND THEBAID. 

influence which implied a check to the absolute sway of 
his power. Thus, in the time of the Tudors, we find 
the voice of the great English lords growing gradually 
more faint in the management of national affairs ; until 
during the reign of Henry the Eighth the nobles^ for 
the most part, could only be regarded as mere courtiers 
depending upon the royal good pleasure for very existence 
as a favour. This singular falling away from all the 
best traditions of Feudalism may be attributed to the 
depopulation of England by the " Black Plague.* No 
longer aMe to procure revenues from their vast estates — 
heretofore their lands were farmed by numerous vassals, 
who were virtually tenants — the nobles adopted 
what is known as the system of * Emparkment * (the 
conversion of those many farms into parks), hoping to 
enrich themselves by the breeding and rearing of cattle : 
seemingly unmindful of the great principles at stake in 
this cruel enterprise. For it implied much suffer- 
ing among the poorer classes ; being the origin, we 
are told, of that estrangement between the people and 
the nobility productive of such bitter fruit in the course 
of time. Henry the Seventh is said to have regarded 
this critical state of affairs as the death-blow to Feudalism ; 
and in order to hasten the final issue, created a number 
of new Peers whose vital interest it was to know no will 
but his own ; nor did his successor relinquish any of the 
advantages gained by this royal father. Even the English 
Church was seriously affected by such a condition of things, 
many Bishops and Abbots being also lords of the Realm ; 
and, consequently, required to interest themselves in 
temporal affairs. Some authors would even trace the 
first sign of anything like a lack of devotedness to the 
clergy on the part of the English people to the action of 
certain Prelates following the example of the lay nobility 
in that serious matter of " Emparkment." 
Here in Ireland, however, such evils were unknown 



SUPPRESSION OF THE IRISH MONASTERIES. 2 $7 

— at least outside the " Pale •—as Feudalism had never 
been adopted by the nation. Fosterage was the pledge 
of loyalty between the people and their chieftains: 
between the nobles and their King. It proved, for ages, 
a very effective means of identifying the interests of 
the various dasses — even more permanently, we are 
assured, than relationship by blood. The national annals 
glow with the record of heroic deeds of loving devotion 
inspired by this system of Fosterage : instead of looking 
for favours, the people simply gloried in the s?tcrifices 
made in the cause of their beloved chieftains, through 
whom alone they paid allegiance to the reigning Irish 
King. But most of their sufferings arose from the wars 
waged with England, to resist the repeated violent efforts 
made to expel ** the ancient race * from the land. Their 
persevering love — both of princes and of people — ^for the 
Religious Orders was rather due to an appreciation of 
the monastic state : grateful for benefits so long received, 
they had nothing but a heartful contempt for those who 
were trying to disparage the calling of the monks and 
friars throughout the land. Not alone did the Irish 
princes and chieftains found many monasteries ; we have 
seen how they held themselves singularly blessed when 
their own children — often their very heirs — embraced 
the religious state : we have even had frequent instances 
of Irish Kings seeking the peace of the cloister in their 
declining years. We have noticed, moreover, how the 
profound reverence of the native Irish for the monastic 
Institute so won upon the sympathies of the Anglo- 
Norman monks living within the * Pale * — that they 
used to receive Irish subjects into their communities, 
notwithstanding the penalties incurred by this violation 
of an atrocious law. Cases were cited to show that certain 
Abbots preferred to be thus severely punished than deny 
admittance to the descendants of the original founders 
of the monasteries over which they ruled. 



2$S A SECOND THEBAID. 

Hence, we need not wonder at the signal failure of 
the attempt made by Henry VIII. to win the Regular 
Clergy of Ireland to countenance the royal cause in his 
heretical revolt from Rome. There could be no question 
of compromise here. Once the nature of the King's 
designs became known, the monks and friars, community 
after community, rejected, with horror, the proposals 
made to them in that monarch's name: openly pro- 
nouncing Henry himself an apostate, infected with the 
most criminal and unchristian views. And we read that 
there were many glorious martyrs in Ireland during 
those eventful days.* The monastic property was every- 
where seized, and freely employed to reward the favourites 
of the King. Happily, apostates were not very numerous 
in Ireland, being, for the most part, members of Anglo- 
Norman families whose consciences were long since dead 
to every sense of justice and shame by their intercourse 
with licentious courtiers. They followed the fashion of 
pretending to believe in those scandalous reports con- 
cerning the inmates of the monasteries, at the suppression 
of which they eagerly took their share of the sacrilegious 
spoils. But it was only in England these vile calumnies 
took hold of the popular mind, already prepared for foul 
charges of this kind by the crusade against Monasticism 
since the time of Wydiflfe and the Lollards. Yet, not- 
withstanding the gross ignorance that prevailed among 
the masses — always prompt to join any movement 
promising license and plunder — ^in different parts of 
England, the people rose up against the royal agents in 
defence of the monks, their benefactors. 

We have seen, too, that Henry VIII. had urgent 
personal motives for suppressing the Irish monasteries 
at whatever cost; the monks and the friars zealously 
warning the Faithful of the insidious efforts that were 
being made to lead them to the adoption of heretical 

• See " Our Martyrs," pp. 82-219^ 



SUPPRESSION OF THE IRISH MONASTERIES. 259 

views. For the rest, the evidence of the " King's Visitors * 
proved unsatisfactory in the extreme ; instead of relax- 
ation in regular discipline, it was rather against the 
persevering fervour of superiors that an occasional 
murmur was heard from individuals whose pitiful 
repining was meet punishment for their having grown 
remiss in the struggle upon which they had entered — 
that between nature and grace. It was useless to cite 
such rare cases of discontent in the doister, as an argu- 
ment in favour of the King's project, to the Irish Faithful ; 
they were well aware that in abandoning the world the 
religious did not leave human nature behind ; they 
merdy aspired to overcome its numerous weaknesses by 
the unceasing practice of the virtues of the monastic 
state. Hence, it was not the deplorable failure of the 
few to achieve the end of their vocation that amazed the 
pious people when the Visitors would fain condemn 
daustral life ; but the grand victory of the countless 
many, whose holiness had heretofore been known to God 
alone. And by the example of such fervour they trusted, 
those earnest Irish Catholics, that in the time of approach- 
ing trial they themselves should likewise be enabled to 
conquer the cowardice of the flesh. Accordingly, as a 
final resort, the "Supremacy Test* was established to 
reduce both clergy and laity to subjection ; and notwith- 
standing the deeds of violence — the relentless forfeiture 
of property, and liberty, and life — ^with whidi it was 
enforced, this, likewise, failed. 

As for the so-called * surrendering " of Church-property 
in Ireland, the only authentic instances of its having 
taken place voluntarily are those in which after events 
proved that compliant courtier Prelates had been 
previously appointed by the King with this purpose in 
view. Henry deemed it politic to act in such wise ; 
so that, in the eyes of the people of England at all events, 
he might appear to be influenced by better motives in 



26o A SECOND THEBAID. 

his attitude towards Rome. But here in Ireland this 
pretence was speedily exposed by the priests — 
especially by the Mendicant Friars, who had, in con- 
sequence, to bear the brunt of a fierce persecution 
against those loy^l to the ancient Faith. These realous 
Confessors were accused of being mere agents of Papal 
intrigue within the King's dominions; although not 
very long before Wolsey himself had actually petitioned 
the Pope for the suppression of the Friars, whom he 
bdieved hostile to his own ambitious designs. He 
then exercised extraordinary influence over his ro3ral 
master, who needed the ser v ices of such an unscrupulous 
minister at times. And by representing to the Holy 
See the pressing necessity of reform among the Religious 
Orders, Wolsey had been empowered, as Apostolic 
legate, to visit all monastic institutions both in England 
and Ireland, and to report formally on the state of 
Regular Observance in these countries. Meanwhile, 
the unhappy Prelate himself received the fitting reward 
of his guilty weakness in oompl3ang with every ro)^! 
cs^rice : he fell from his place in the King's faivour 
the moment Henry found himself hampered by the 
presence of a courtier with Wolsey's ambitious views. 
Besides, the monarch no longer shrank from the world's 
opinion regarding his conduct ; the time for dissembling 
was past ; and by the plunder of so many monasteries 
he would have at his disposal the means of recompensing 
those devoted to his interests, whether in the Council 
or in the field. 

The Irish chief tains had appealed to arms in the cause 
of Truth, and to defend their homes. A long and 
determined struggle ensued ; for the people thronged 
to their standards, sustained and encouraged by the 
earnest exhortations of the numerous servants of God 
who had already laid down their lives for the Faith. 
Those outlawed Irish chieftains and their loyal followers 



V 




o 






O 



SUPPRESSION OF THE IRISH MONASTERIES. 26 1 

often succeeded in saving the monasteries for a time ; 
and also in checking very effectively, in other respects, 
the efforts made to replenish the royal treasury in 
Ireland. Nevertheless, by the end of the reign of 
Queen Elizabeth, the work of oppression and destruction 
was complete indeed, despite this heroic attempt at 
resistance in a spirit of true Qiristian chivalry. Our 
Annalists pay a due tribute of grateful praise to the 
defenders of the Irish Church in those times of per- 
secution ; and deplore the fact of such bravery having 
been powerless to avert the eventual fate of the abbeys 
and friaries throughout the land. Furnished with so few 
particulars of the Suppression in detail, we are not 
always told whether the particular religious establish- 
ment belonged to those "lesser houses," which were 
the first to fall into the hands of the plunderers ; or 
to " the greater " seized later on : we are left to make 
what inferences we may from the official registers 
of such transactions — ^merely tiie inventories of the 
monastic property accruing so unlawfully to the Crown. 
If we are to consider, for a moment, some of the effects 
of the Suppression we shall again appeal to the evidence 
of non-Catholic writers, who are to be found, uncon- 
sciously, championing the cause of Monastidsm quite 
as enthusiastically as we could wish. In mediaeval 
times Religion was the sole restraint upon those who 
spent the greater portion of their lives in war-like pursuits, 
a spirit fostered even here in Ireland by disastrous 
tribal rivalries, as well as by the Danish and Anglo- 
Norman Invasions. Consequently, it became the duty 
of the clergy, and especially of the monks and the 
friars, to keep constantly before the minds of their 
spiritual clients the fact of their being responsible 
for their every action before God. The same 
great Truth was early instilled into the minds of the 
children sent for instruction to the monastic schools ; in 



262 A SECOND THEBAID. 

order that in after-life far more importance might be 
attached to the means leading to such happiness as 
springs from the testimony of a good conscience, than 
to the fascinations of martial renown or to vain pride 
of race. The fruit of this training was evident 
in the simple piety of the Irish Faithful, no matter of 
what social sphere, and in the fervent practice of Christian 
virtue throughout the land, notably charity towards the 
poor and helpless, which developed into a beautiful 
trait in the national character. 

Then, as the Irish nobles were themselves unable 
to discharge in person what they rightly regarded 
as a sacred duty, they deemed it a privilege to make God's 
servants their almoners ; and thus the monasteries 
served, far more admirably than we can now conceive, 
the various purposes of our modern charitable in- 
stitutions. By this means the State was relieved of 
a burden for which no adequate remedy could be found 
from the time of the Suppression until in these latter 
years the services of religious communities are being 
requisitioned to that end again even by those not at 
all favourably disposed towards the institutions of the 
Catholic Church. We have seen in the course of this 
narrative how before the dissolution of the monasteries 
the monks and the friars were solicitous for the wants of 
the needy, the infirm, the aged, the insane. And 
Irish Kings and Princes, renowned for their valour, con- 
sidered it a far greater glory to be allowed to enrol 
themselves, as religious, in the royal service of Christ's 
suffering poor. 

Briefly, everything edifying recorded as the result 
of Monasticism in other countries, is to be found fully 
confirmed in the Annals of Ireland : together with a 
certain touching, childlike, loving reverence for the 
religious habit — ^peculiar, apparently, to the Irish Faithful 
alone. Indeed, we read that it was an occasion of 



SUPPRESSION OF THE IRISH MONASTERIES. 263 

joyous gratitude to the founders and benefactors of 
our ancient monasteries when anyone dear to them 
expressed a wish to take some part in those works 
of Christian piety ; sons gladly perfecting what their 
fathers had begun. So we can well understand what 
grief and indignation spread throughout the land when 
It became more generally known that the patrimony 
of the helpless — of widows and orphans, of the destitute 
and afHicted — ^was to be seized by order of the King 
to be squandered by him and his profligate courtiers. 
Not even apologists most prejudiced in favour of Henry 
VIII. pretend that anything like a tithe of the plunder 
was devoted to the establishment of "hospitals and 
refuges " : another specious pretext by which the King, 
in the beginning, endeavoured to divert the English 
people's attention from the true nature of his crime. 
We have met with a number of pathetic instances 
of the final efforts made by the members of different 
religious communities to frustrate the purpose of the 
royal agents, by distributing whatever their monasteries 
contained among the surrounding poor. In such cases 
loud complaint was made by the disappointed plunderers ; 
nor was their wrath confined to mere words of reproach. 
Whereks, once the monastic property had fallen into 
their own hands, should the distressed appeal to them 
for succour, heretofore so freely afforded by the friars 
and monks, they were regarded as criminals and severely 
punished by the Law. During the reign of Henry VIII. 
any man, woman, or even little child found destitute of 
fixed home and the means of livelihood incurred, by the 
very fact, a public flogging in the nearest market town 
until the blood flowed down the guilty wretch's back I 
Later on, the homeless poor were treated as slaves; 
and if their services could not be profitably employed 
it seems the gallows was their fate. Branding with a 
red-hot iron and scourging until the bones were bare, 



264 A SECOND TUEBAID. 

came to be deemed, eventuaUy, too mild a penalty for 
the offence of being reduced to the necessity of seeking 
alms> It is not surprising that the Suppression should 
have been denounced as un-Christian by all whose hearts 
were not utterly hardened to the sufferings of the poor. 
In other times the religious themselves were sufficiently 
powerful to resent such inhuman measures; even to 
rebuke acts of harshness in a King. 

But the conscience of Henry VIII. was far beyond 
moral influence now ; and his courtiers, the partners 
in his crime, were equally callous to the misery caused 
by the action of their royal master. The latter were 
louder than ever in their denunciations of the monastic 
state, holding up the supposed disorders of the Qoister 
in shamelessly scandalous comedies to the ridicule 
of the ignorant in England. Here in Ireland the King's 
followers appear to have been chiefly engaged — except 
when hindered by the Irish Princes — in gratifying 
their sacrilegious greed, selling the very stones of the 
monasteries to increase the spoil. We have cited 
cases to show that the descendants of these plunderers 
were miserable in possession of wealth acquired by so 
flagrant a means ; even endeavouring, although not 
Catholics themselves, to make some reparation for 
their ancestors* crimes. 

Another dire effect of the Suppression was the 
irreparable loss to the young in the matter of education : 
a standing evil for several hundred years. The 
monasteries were, as we have seen, the only schools 
in those days ; the Universities throughout Europe owe 
their fame to the learning of Masters taken from 
the Qoister ; indeed many of them, not excluding those 
founded in England, were of monastic origin. Every 
student of mediaeval history is familiar with the world's 

« Tanner (auoted above). See ** Henry VIII. and the English Monas- 
teriw,*' ToL, iL, p. 515. {Note,) 



SUPPRESSION OF THE IRISH MONASTERIES. 26$ 

indebtedness in this respect to the monks and friars, 
who have preserved for posterity whatever men prize 
most highly in Science, Literature and Art. "If cells 
of devotion * — as a Protestant writer assures us — ^" the 
monasteries were nurseries of learning : ** and whenever 
the religious were interfered with in the exercise of their 
calling, ignorance among the people seems to have been re- 
garded as quite the natural result. As a striking illustra- 
tion of this historical fact, mention is made of some of the 
most deplorable consequences of the Danish Invasion. 
For the same reason the author alluded to bewails the 
vandalism of the Suppression, asking how could it have 
been needful to the welfare of the State that the priceless 
manuscripts in the monastic libraries should have wantonly 
been destroyed ? He reminds us, too, that * that most 
useful art of printing" found its principal promoters 
among the monks, William Caxton himself having 
first exercised the same within the walls of Westminster 
Abbey. In each community there were always learned 
men, who not alone devoted themselves to the acquisi- 
tion and diffusion of knowledge, but earnestly encouraged 
others to cultivate to the utmost talents likely to benefit 
the human race for all time. Hence the zeal of the 
younger religious to set an edifying example of diligence 
while attending the Universities ; since this duty of 
labour, mental and physical, was only second to the 
duty of prayer : indeed, for them to labour was to pray. 
From the profoundest treatises on Mysticism to popular 
explanations of the best method for the exercise of some 
humble craft, nothing was omitted in the training to 
be had in the monastic schools ; and once more, those 
Protestant writers — apologists of Henry VIII. by the 
way I — ^loudly lament the loss of works which would 
prove of much practical utility in every age : treating 
of the mechanical arts and of agriculture ; as well as of 
Painting, Music, and Letters ; not to mention the 



266 A SECOND THEBAID. 

Sciences of Theolc^y and Philosophy, in which the 
monastic schoolmen so excelled.^ 

So manifest was this social disaster caused by the 
plunder of the monasteries, that Henry VIII. himself 
felt bound to make some effort to cope with the evil 
by establishing in England certain educational in- 
stitutions with endowments from the Crown. A similar 
attempt was made in Ireland in the course of time ; 
but in neither country might anyone undertake to 
instruct the young unless licensed to do so by the State, 
and willing to propagate the new heresies among the 
helpless children. However, so determined were the 
Irish people in resisting this dangerous and cowardly 
means of prosdytism, that, in the end, it became a 
* felony " for the Faithful to have their children educated 
at all. Still while the colleges founded by Henry VIII. 
and his immediate successor proved — as Protestant 
historians of the period openly admit — a humiliatir^ 
failure ; the outlawed Irish friars and monks, in theix 
hiding-places through the country, were the hope 
of the persecuted Catholics for the education of the 
young. And we know how their heroic services in 
this respect also were gloriously acknowledged by their 
pious clients' zeal in defence of the ancient Faith. 

We need not pause to consider the Suppression as the 
sacrilegious invasion of our Western Thebaid. The 
subject is too full of horror regarded from this point of 
view. Even the indignation of one of the most hostile 
of the modem critics of the Catholic Church is aroused 
at the thought of the destruction of those many homes 
of penance and prayer, alluded to by him as having 
been : " the Golgotha of true souls departed — ^Heaven's 
watch-towers of our fathers, built for a most real and 
serious purpose — the arena where earnest men worked 
their life-wrestle in sight of heaven and earth and hell." • 

■ "Scoti-MoDAsticon" (qaoted). • Carlyl^ ** Past and Present" (quoted.) 



SUPPRESSION OF THE IRISH MONASTERIES. 267 

Realising as they did so dearly the object of their own 
being (the end of their sacred calling), to the religious 
themselves how far more awful must the Suppression 
have appeared I It was not for them to inquire into 
the Divine Decree permitting this dread trial to test 
the constancy of the Irish Church ; nor did it matter 
to them at all, knowing that in His Own good time and 
way God would direct the sufferings of so many of 
His loyal servants to further the glory of His all-holy 
Name.. . . That same generation of Christian Confessors 
beheld the much reviled monastic profession assume yet 
more irresistible attractions for countless young Irishmen 
who had escaped to the Continent ; the happy parents of 
many of those children meeting death triumphantly be- 
cause of their allegiance to the proscribed Faith. 

Were they not so pre^xcupied with the duties of their 
sacred ministry — ^we have given frequent instances of 
their unremitting missionary zeal — ^the now homeless 
monks and friars could not have failed to observe * the 
signs of the times " in the after-careers of their persecutors, 
the Divine Vengeance having at length overtaken the 
profaners of their beloved "Thebaid.* The King's 
principal agents in the work of sacrilege soon lost favour 
with that fickle monarch ; and either ended their lives 
on the scaffold or died in obscurity and disgrace. Henry 
the Eighth's own punishment on earth— after he had 
experienced nothing but vanity in what he had secured at 
the peril of his soul — ^was a truly pitiable remorse of con- 
science, which even the most partial of his biographers find 
it hard to distinguish from the abject cowardice of despair* 

Unhappily his death did not ward off England's 
threatened spiritual ruin ; or stay the cruel persecution 
of the Irish Faithful. The Suppression of the English 
monasteries had brought about one result eagerly desired 
by Henry VIII. : the credulous ignorant masses passively 
submitted to the forfeiture of their Faith, persuading 



268 A SECOND THEBAID. 

themselves that their King's defection from Rome was 
on a mere political issue, which could have no vital 
bearing upon their own spiritual interests — especially 
since they knew they would have to suffer the severest legal 
penalities, or conform to the newly established order 
of things. Another generation foimd it still less difficult 
to accept the doctrine promulgated by the State. And 
when it became known in England that the Irish people 
were still persevering in a struggle begun in their father's 
time, it was looked upon in the light of rebellion : loyal 
subjects would not thus deiy the Act of Parliament, and 
the monardi's supreme will. To this epoch, particularly, 
some writers would trace the deeply-rooted national an- 
tipathy to the Irish race — with, perhaps, unconscious 
envy, because our ancestors succeeded in retaining what 
the forefathers of the English people themselves had lost— 
a lamentable trait which the enlightenment of modem 
times is, comparatively, but beginning to remove. 

Of course the priests both in England and Scotland 
were by no means indifferent to the calamity of the 
Suppression ; but the efforts of heroic Confessors among 
them could not prevail against the self-interest blinding 
the people of both these countries to the value of the 
Treasure of which they were being deprived. In Ireland 
the fervour of the Faithful, and their devotedness to 
the suffering servants of God saved them from a like 
sad fate ; nay, the greater the sacrifices they were called 
upon to make, the more dearly they prized their glorious 
heritage of Christian Truth. While alluding incidentally 
to the nature of some of these sacrifices, we have ex- 
plained how in so living up to the traditions of their 
race our ancestors did their own part in conffrming the 
nation's daim to a title hallowed in the East since 
the time of the Apostles; and in the West, from the 
very first ages of our ancient Irish Church. 



INDEX, 



ABBREVIATIONS. 



A.S. » Ancient Sanctuary. 

Aug. » Augustinians. 

Ben. B Benedictines. 

Car. a Carmelites. 

Cis. a Cistercians. 

C.R. « Canons Regular. 

D.C. a Discalced Car- 
melites. 

Dom. s Dominicans. 

Fran, a Franciscans. 

KH. - KniehtsHospitaUer. 

Nor. — Norbertines. 

Th. = Trinitarians. 

A. s Co. Antrim. 

Ar. » Co. Armagh. 

C. =» Co. Carlow. 
Ca. = Co. Cavan« 
Ci. - Co. Clare. 
Co. = Co. Cork. 

D. = Co. Derry. 
Do. - Co. Donegal 
Dn. = Co. Down. 
Du. = Ca Dublin. 



F. 

G. 

K. 

Ki. 

Kk. 

?• 

Li. 

Lo. 

Lh. 

M. 

Me. 

Mo. 



T. 

^: 

We. 
Wi. 
Wm. 



a Co. Fermanagh. 
■» Co. Galway. 
« Co. Kerry. 
» Co. Kildare. 
» Co. Kilkenny. 
» Kind's County. 
«> Co. Leitrim. 
» Co. Limerick, 
a Co. Longford. 
» Co. Louth. 
a Co. Mayo. 
= Co. Meath. 
8* Co. Monaghan. 
=■ Queen's County, 
a Co. Roscommon, 
a Co. Sligo. 
■= Co. Tipperary. 
— Co. Tyrone. 
= Co. Waterf ord. 
« Co. Wexford, 
a. Co. Wicklow. 
a Co. Westmeath. 



NoTB. — For the interesting origin of so many Irish names 
of places, the reader is referred to Dr. Joyce's important 
work on this subject. Here we merely indicate the meaning 
of those Irish prefixes which occur more frequently ; and it 
is necessary to remark that various modifications of the same 
prefix are to be found in the anglicised form of the root- 
word so employed. For example* ct/I, a church, is also written 
ki, kill, cell, ceall, keel, and hyU : upwards of three thousand 
Irish names beginning with one or other form of this word alone. 

(" Irish Names of Places," Joyce— Dublin, A.D. 1870— p. 302) : — 



"Achad,"-afield. 
"Ard,"=high,etc. 
"Ath,"=afQrd, 
•*Baile " (Bally ),-a town, &c. 
" Clan,"=a tribe, etc 
"Quain"(aoon),»an in- 
sulated meadow. 
*'Cor,"«aroundhilL 
** Disert,"»a desert, a hermi- 



** Inis," »an island. 

" KiH^-a church. 

" Lio8,"a(li8s), a mound, etc. 

"Loch,"- a lake. 

^ Rath,"** a circular fort 

** Ro8,"«a peninsula, a wood. 

" Teagh, teach, or tigh," (tee), 

a house, etc. 
" Temple," — teampull (tam- 
tage. pui)sa church. 

" Dom. — Domach,"«a church. *• Tol)ar,"»a well, 
" Druim " (Drum),-the back. " Tulach '' (tuUagh),=-a Uttla 

a hill-ridge, etc, hilL 

•• Dun" (Doon),aia fortified 
residence. 



270 



INDEX. 



Abbeyfeal (LL)» Cis.» 120 
Abbeygormogan, (G.)» C.R., 

70. 
Abbey KUlbrayey ( Wc), A.S., 

35- 
Abbeyknockmoy (G.), Cis., 

141- 
Abbeymahon (Co)., Cia., 139. 
Abbeyleix (Q.)\ Ci& 137. 
Abbeys, Monasteries so called, 

150. 
Abbeys, The •* Alien," 233, 

252. 
Abbeyshruel (Lo.)> A«S., 4^. 
Abbhan, St, 23, 40, 47» 4^- 
Abbingdon-Wotheny (LL), 

Cis., 13a 
Abbots, Irish, in Parliament 

61-129. 
Achadabhla (We.), A.S., 33. 
Achad-Ardglass (C.), A.S., 38. 
Achadcaoil (Do.)f A.S., 44. 
Achadcin (A.), A.S., 44. 
Achaddagain (W.), A.S., 47. 
Achadubthuig (A.), A«S., 44. 
Achan-Finglass (C), A.S., 34. 
Achad-Ur. (Kg.), A.S., 38. 
Achmacart (Q.), CR. 3B, 63. 
Achonry (S.), A.S., 55. 
Adamnan, St., 44. 
Adare (LL), TrL, 106 sq. 

„ Aug., 100. 218. 
„ Fran., 189. 
Aedgen, St., 40. 
Aengus, King, 17, 35, 47» 50- 
Aengus, St. 47, 50. 
Aghaboe (Q.). A.S., 31, 37. 

„ „ Dom. 167. 
Aghadoe (K.), A.S., 49- 
Aghagower (Mo.), A.S., 53. 
Aghamore (K.), A.S., 49. 
Aghamoie (Mo.), A.S., 53. 
Agapitus, Father, 238. 
Ahascrath (G.), A.S., 52. 
Ailbe, St. of Clane, 32. 
Ailbe, St of Emly, 16, 17 1 

46, 48, 50. 
Aidan, St 52, 62. 
Aidus, St, 40, 49. 
Aidns, VI., St 42. 
Ailechmor (R.), A.S., 55. 
Airecal-Dachiaroc (Ty.), A.S., 

46. 



Alberic, Abbot, 124. 
Albert, Archbishop, 175. 
Albert, the Great, Blessed, 

149, 229. 
Albigenses, The, 144. 
Alemand's History, 13, 73, 

174. 217 
Alexander II., Pope, 57. 
Alexander, IV., Fope, i68, 

212, 213. 
Alfred, King, in Ireland, 53. 
AHtha, St 36, 48. 
All Saints, Abbey of, 41. 
All Saints, Island of (Lo.), 

41. 
All Saints, Island of, Aug., 

217. 
Almoner, Dnties of the, 

118. 
Amnichad, St 5a 
Angelus, Brother, 237. 
Anglo-Normans, The, 69, 80, 

«?•» 93- 
Annadufi (L.), A.S., 55. 
Annagh (M.), C.R., 70. 
Annaghdown (G.), A.S., 75. 

Nor. 75. 
Annalists, Monastic, 121. 
" Annals of Inisfallen," The, 

49- 
" Annals of Loughkee^" The, 

76, 78. 
" Annals of West C^onnaught,' 

The, 83. 
Annatrim (Q.), A.S., 38. 
Antrim (A.), A.S., 44. 
Any (L.), A.S., 219. 

„ „ Aug., 219. 

»> >» K.H., 99. 
Aodan, St., 53. 
•' Apostles of Erin," The, 18. 
Aqua, Walter de, 88. 
Aquila, Father, 218. 
Architecture, Monastic, 122. 
Archives, Monastic, 213, 230. 
Ardagh (Lo.), A.S., 41. 

„ „ Fran. 181. 
Ardbrecan (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Ardcame (R.), A.S., 55, 116. 
Ardcath (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Ardee (Lh.), Car., 235. 

„ „ D.C., 236. 

„ „ TrL, 104. 



INDEX. 



271 



Ardes (Dn.), Ben., 78, 113. 
Ardfert (K.), Fran., 193. 
Ardfininian (T.), A.S., 48. 

„ Fran., 192. 
Ardicnise (Dn.), Fran., 206. 
Ardlathran (We.), A.S., 35* 
Ardmasnascasa (A.), A.S., 

44* 
Ardmore (W.), A.S., 17, 47, 

217.' 
Ardmulchan (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Ardnacrana (Wm.), Car., 238. 
Ardnary (S.), Ane., 224. 
Ardoilen (G.), A.S.,52. 
Ardpatrick (Lh.), A.S., 42. 
Ardpatiick (Li..),A.S., 48. 
Ardsailech (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Ardsenlis (S.), A.S., 55. 
Ardne-Coeman (We.), A.S., 

Ardskme (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Ardstraw (Ty.), A.S., 46. 
Arklow (Wi.), Dom., 166. 
Armagh (Ar.), A.S., 42. 

„ „ C.R., 65. 

„ „• Dom., 168. 

„ „ Fran., 206. 

„ „ See of, 206. 

Aroasta, C.R. of, 59, 75. 
Arooe (Ty.), A.S., 46. 
ArrageU (D.), A,S., 45. 
" Arran of the Saints," 5a 
Arras, CR. of, 59. 
Art, ^e Monks and, 265. 
Asceticism in the early Irish 

Church, 8 sq. 
Ashroe (Do.), Qs., X35. 
Askeaton (LL), Franu, 189. 
Assisi, St. Francis of, 170, 213. 
Athaddyr, (C), A.S., 71. 
Athanasius, St., 5. 
Athassel (T.), Ck., 69. 
Athboy (Me.), Car., 234. 
„ D.C. 235. 
Athenry (G.), Dom., 155. 

„ „ Fran., igS. 

„ „ Lord, 155, 193. 
221. 
Athleagne (R.), A.S., 54. 
Athlone (R. Wm.), A.S., 130, 
225. 

„ „ Os., 130. 

„ „ Fran., 175. 



Athmoy, (S.), Nor., 78, yy. 
Athnecame (Wm. Dom., 

154. 
Atfaol, Earl of, 79. 
Athractst, St., 5. 
Athy (Ki.), Dom., 150, 163. 

„ „ TrL, 165. 
Aughrim (G.), CR., 69, 246. 
Aughross <S.), A.S., 55. 
Augustine, St., Riile of, 57, 

213. 
Augustmians, The, 212 $q. 
Austin, St., III. 
Authorities cited {Note,)^ 210. 
Auzilius, St., 32. 
Avarice, Royal, 191, 252 sq, 
Aylmer, Gerald, 98, 204. 
Aylmer, Nicholas, 96, 217. 
Aylard, Sir Peter, 96. 

Baggot, Sir Robert, 231. 
Baillenagraairtach (Do.), A.S. 

46. 
BaiUindesert (W.), A.S., 47. 
Baitellach, St., 38. 
Baldwin, II., King, 86. 
BaUa (BL), A.S., 53. 
Balleguarcy, (L.)., Fran., 181, 

203. 
Ballentully (M.), A.S., 53. 
Ballinahlnch (G.), Car., 244. 
Ballinasaggart (Lo.),Fran.,209 
Ballinaskefigs (K.), A.S., 49. 
Ballindune, (S.), Dom., 162. 
Ballinegall (Li.), Dom., 152, 

Car., 243. 
Ballinglass (M.), A.S., 53. 
Ballinrobe, (M.), Aug., 222. 
Ballinismale (M.), Car., 244. 
Ballinley (S.), A.S., 55. 
Ballintobber (M.), CR., 7a 
BaUinvony (W.), K.H., 99. 
Ballybeg (Co.), CR., 6S. 
Ballyboggan (Me.), C.R., 64. 
Ballyboght, Confessors of, 1 26 
BaUycastle (A.), A.S., 44. 
BaUyhack (We.), K.H., 98. 
Ballyhaunis (M.), Aug., 223. 
BaUykine (WL), A.S., 34. 
Ballylinch, (Ca.), A.S., 46. 
Ballymacdane (Co.), A.S., 47. 
BallymacSweeny (Do.), Fran. 

209. 



272 



INDEX. 



Ballymoon (C)» KH., 98. 
Ballymore (Wm.)» Nor., 8a 
Ballymote (S.), Fran., 201. 
Ballynabrahir (LL), Fran., 

190. 
Ballynasaggard (Ty.)» Fran., 

181. 
Ballynegall (Li.)f Dom., 152. 
Ballyrourke (L.), Fran., ao3. 
Ballysadare (S.), A.S., S5» 225. 
Ballyvourney (Co.), A.S., 56. 
BaUywilliam (La), Car., 243. 
Balrayne, 242. 
Baltinglass (WL), Cis., 129, 

137. 
Bangor (Dn.), CR., 45, 65. 

„ Fran., 206. 
Bantry (Co.), Fran., 185. 
Barbadoes, Irish in, 83. 
Bards, Ancient Irish^ 15, 28. 
Bamwall, Sir Patrick, 65, 

240. 
Barrett, Family, 183. 

„ Bishop lliomas, 224. 
Barrindeus, St., 35. 
Barry, Gerald, 129. 

„ Philip de, 28, 153. 

„ Richard, 159. 
BsLsil, St., 10, 228. 
Basleacomor (R.), A.S., 55. 
Bassi, Matteo de, 173. 
Beagh (G.), Fran., 200. 
BesJaneney (R.), Fran., 200. 
Beamore (Me.), K.H., 29. 
Beare, O'Sullivan, 185. 
Beaubec (Me.), Cis., 128. 
Becan, St., 128. 
Becan's Well, St., 223. 
Beck, John, 231. 
Beckett, St. Thomas k^ 92, 

94. 130. 
Bectiff (Me.), Cis., 127. 
Beg-Erin (WL), A.S., 33. 
Bellagan (Do.), Fran., 209. 
Bells, Burial of, 180. 
Benedictines, The, no sq» 
Benignus, St., 25. 
Bennada (S.), Aug., 224. 
Bennet, Philip, 149. 
Berach, The Abbot, 54. 
Bergin, Father Luke, 133. 
Berminghams, The, 155, 163, 

220, 244. I 



Bernard, St., 49, 56, 66, 125, 

127. 
Bewely, (W.), Nor., 77. 
" Biataghs," The, 222. 
Bicknor, Alexander de, 148. 
Bile (S.), A.S., 55. 
Bingham, Sir Richard, 196, 

198, 224. 
Birr (Kg.), A.S., 35. 
Bishops, Monks made, 126- 

220. 
Bissets, The, 79, 205. 
•' Black Abbey " The, (Dn.), 

Ben, 113. 
Blake, Walter, 75. 
Blanchfields, The, 63. 
Bobbio, Abbey of, 2$. 
Bodkin, Archbishop, 194 
Bodmin, Abbey of, 63. 
Boedon, St. 44. 
Boetius, St. 42. 
Boghmoyen (M.), Fran., 202. 
BoQeau-Clair (G.), Fran., 194. 
Boiselles, The, 164. 
Bole, John, 64. 
Bonamargy (A.), Fran., 205. 
Bonaventure, St. 172, 181. 
Boniface, VIII., Pope, 163. 
Boniface, IX., Pope, 133, 135, 

149, 156. 
Bophen, Island, (M.), A.S., 

53- 
Borard, Gilbert de, 97. 
Borriscarra (M.), Aug., 223 ; 

Car., 244. 
Bothbolcain (A.), A.S., 14. 
Bothconais (Do.), A.S., 45. 
Bourke, Mac William, 131. 
Bowfinan (M.), Fran., 202. 
Boxam, Father John, 234. 
Boyle, (R.),A.S., 55. 
„ „ Cis., 130. 
Bracken, Father Edward, 239. 
Bradly, Father Thomas, 241. 
Branoon^ohn, 204, 215. 
Braosa, Philip de, 107. 
Breccan, St., 38. 
Brendan, St. of Birr., 35, 40, 

„ „ Clonfert, 27, 52, 56. 
Brian-Boroimhe, 32, 42, 50, 

92. 
Bridgetown (Co.), C.R., 68. 



INDEX. 



273 



Briga, St., 28, 56, 75. 
Brigid, St., 24, 29, 38, 55> 6i» 

98, III, 167, 183. 
Brigoone (Co.), A.S., 47. 
Briola (R.), A.S., 55. 
Brogan, St., 38, 47. 
"Brother^ of the Blessed 

Virgin," The, 228. 
Brown, Father, 240 
Bruce, Edward, 112, 133, 147, 

179. 
„ Robert, 103, 235, 
Bnigacius, Bishop, 44. 
Bunfinne (R.), Cis., 131. 
Burchard, 6^. 

Burishoole (Me.), Dom., 163. 
Burke, Honoria, 163. 
Burkes, The, 147, 201, 224. 
Bursar, Duties of the, 1 19. 
Butlers, The, 71, 130, 191,216, 

239, 242. 
Buttevant, (C^.) Fran., 185. 

Cahir, (T.), C.R. 69 
Caille, (S.), A.S., 55. 
Caillefolachda (Me), A.S., 41. 
Caillevinde (S.), A.S., 55. 
Caillin, St., 43 
CaldrywoUagh (R.), Fran., 

201. 
Calixtus II., Pope, Sy. 
Calumnies against the monks, 

253- 
Callan (Ky.), Aug., 216 
Calleaghton (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Callin, Battle of, 159. 
CaUthorp, 196. 
Camros (Wi.), A.S., 33. 
Camus, Abbot, 45. 
Camvill, Geoflbrey, de, 69. 
Canice, St., 87^ 167. 
Canoe, St., 56. 
Canons of St. Patrick, The, 

13- 
Canons, Regular, The, 57 sq. 
Canterbury, St. Thomas 01, 

130. 
CantweU, Lord, 191. 

„ William de, 69. 
Cape Clare (Co.), A.S., 47. 
Cappah (W.), A.S., 47. 
Capuchins, The, 173, 211. 
Carbery, Prince of, 184. 



Carew, Sir George, 195, 221. 
Carrick (T.), C.R., 70. 
Carrickbeg, (W.), Fran. 185. 
Carrickfergus (A.), A.S., 56, 
7S. 

f» f> Fran. 205. 
Carrigogonill (Li.), K.H., 99. 
Carmel, Mount, 2, 13. 
" Carmel in Ireland," 227. 
Carmelites, The, 227 sq. 
Carmelite " Abbeys,'^ 233, 

247. 
Carmelites, Discalced, 88, 227, 

230. 
Carmel, Hermits of, 10, 19, 

228. 
Carlingford (Lh.), Dom. 167. 
Camsore (We.), A.S., 35. 
Carthag, St., 40, 47, 52. 
Carrick-on-Suir, (T.), C.R., 

69. 
Cashel (T.), Dom., 158. 
„ ,9 Fran., 190. 
„ „ Tri., 106. 
Cashel Jorra (S.), A.S., 55. 
Castlebuoy (Dn.), K.H., 98. 
Castleconnell (Li.), 218. 
Castledermott (Ki.), Tri., 105. 

„ Fran., 179. 

Castleknock (Du.), C.R., 61. 

Castlelyons (Co.), Car., 242. 

„ „ Dom. 154. 

„ „ Fran., 185. 

Castletown Maceneiry, (Li.), 

Catherine's,' St. (Du.), C.R., 

61, 67, 70. 
Cathuir-MacConchaigh ( W. ), 

A.S., 47. 
Cavan (Ca.), Fran., 207. 

„ „ Dom. 166. 
Cavanagh, Donald, 178. 
(3axton and the Monks, 265. 
Ceanindis (CI.) A.S., 50. 
Celestine, St., Pope, 3, 14. 
Celestine III., Pope, 75. 
" CeU," Monastery so called, 

117. 
Cellarer, Duties of, 119. 
Cerfroy, 100. 

Chamberlain, Duties of, 118. 
Chantry, 117. 
Chapter-Room, 121. 

T 



274 



INDEX. 



Charles, Father, 224. 
Charles V., King, 87. 
Charles VI., King, 188. 
Cherbury, David, 241. 
Chevers, Didacus, 177. 
Chivalry, Christian, 86. 
Choir, The, 139. 
Christ-Church (Du.), C.R., 60. 
Christicola, St., 46. 
Chrysostom, St. John, 5, 228. 
Church, English (i6th cent), 

255 sq. 
Church, The Monastic, 259. 
Church Property, 259. 
Ciaran, St., of Clonmacnoise, 

II, 26. 
Cistercians, The, 124, 136, 

146. 
Citeaux, Order of, 124 sq. 
ClanDiUon, 152. 
ClanGibbon, 190. 
Clane (Ki.), A.S., 32. 

„ „ Fran., 179. 
Clanricardes, The, 140, 198, 

199, 245. 
Clairveaux, 58, 125, 66. 
'Clare Abbey (CL), C.R., 69. 
Clare Galway (G.), Fran., 193. 
Clare Island (M.), Car. 244. 

„ „ „ Cis., 142. 
Clare, St., 172. 
Clashmore (W.), A.S., 47. 
Classics, Study of the, 199. 
Cler^, Irish, English, and 

Welsh, 129. 
Clergy, Irish, A.D., 1172, 258. 
Clement, III., Pope, 67. 
Clement, V., Pope, 86, 148. 
Clement, the Seventh, 188. 
Clifford, Sir Conyers, 196. 
Clochin-Cantualaig (G.), 

Fran. 199. 
Cloggagh (Co.), A.S., 47. 
Cloghall, Hugh de, 88 
Clogher, (T.), A.S., 46. 
Cloghermore (S.), A.S., 55. 
Cloister, The, 120. 
Clonaul (T.), K.H., 97. 
Cloncurry (Ki.), Car., 233. 
Clondalkin (Du.), A.S., 32. 
Clonebrane (Lo.), A.S., 41, 56. 
Clonenagh (Q.), A.S., 37. 
Clonfeakle (Ar.), A.S., 43. 



Clonfert (G.) A.S., 51 
Clonfert-MuUoe (Kg.), A.S., 

Clones (Mo.), A.S., 46. 

„ „ Aug., 226. 
Clonard (Me.), A.S., 24, 40,71. 

„ „ C.R., 64. 
Clonin, Nehemy, 114. 
Clonkeen (G), 200. 
Cloneleigh (Do.), A.S., 46. 
Clonmacnoise (Kg.), A.S., 369 

41, 56. 
Clonmanan (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Clonmel (T.), Dom., 159. 

„ „ Fran., 191. 
Clonmene, (Co.), A.S., 47, 218. 
Clonmines (We.), Dom. Aug., 

168, 215. 
Clonmore (We.), A.S., 34. 
Clonrahan (R.), Fran., 201. 
Clonrane (Wm.), A.S., 41. 
Clonshanvil (R.), Aug., 165. 
Clontarf (Du.), K.H., 92. 
Clontarf, Viscount, 91. 
Clontuskert (R.), A.S., 52, 

54, 222. 
Cloonagh (Ki.), A.S., ^3' 
Clooncholling (L.), A.S., 55. 
Clooncraft (R.), 54. 
Cloone (Lo.), A.S., 40. 
Cloonfad (Wm.), A.S., 40. 
Cloonmorfemarda (Me.), A.S., 

41. 
Cloonymeaghan (S.), Dom., 

162. 
Clojrne (Co.), A.S., 47. 
Cluain (Co.), A.S., 47. 
Cluainborean (R.), A.S., 55. 
Cluainchaoin, (Q.), A.S., 38. 
Cluain-Claideach (Li.), A.S., 

48. 
Cluainconbruin (T.), A.S., 48. 
Cluaindamh (Dn.), A.S., 44. 
Cluaine-Murchair, (Q.), A.S., 

38. 
Cluain-Finglass (W.), A.S., 

47. 
Cluainfois (G.), A.S., 59. 
Cluain-Inis (G.), A.S., 46. 
Cluainmium (R.), A.S., 55. 
Quainmnhaoscna (Wm.), A.S. 

41. 
Cluainnamanagh (R.), A.S. 55. 



INDEX. 



275 



Cluainbraoin (Lh.), A.S., 42. 
Cluan-Drackran (Lo.)» A.S.» 

40. 
Qynne, Father John, 175, 185 
Cnodain (Do.)» A.S., 45. 
Cogan, 83, 193. 
Coleraine (D.), A.S., 45. 

,, ,, Dom., 160. 
CoUege, The Monastic, 117. 
Coknan, St., 38, 43, 51, 78. 
Coknan-£lo, St, 36, 44. 
Cohnan, St. of Mayo, 52. 
Colman-Stillain, St., 49. 
Colpe (Me.), C.R., 64. 
Columba, St., 10, 18, 35. 
Columba, Son of Cremthan, 

St. 49. 
Columba at Deny, St., 44. 
Columbanus, Father, 236. 
Columbanus, St., 25. 
Coman, St., 53. 
Combhail, St., 45. 
Cometio, Bzurtholomew de, 

154. 
Comgall, St., 19, 25, 37, 46, 66 
Comgan, St., 38. 
Comraire (Wm.), A.S., 41. 
Comin, Jordan, 64. 
Comyn, John, Archbishop, 71, 

loi, 129. 
Commandery, 117. 
Community-room, The, 121. 
Conadar, St., 40. 
Conall, St., 45, 51. 
Conandhil, St., 45. 
Conchea, St., 56. 
Condon, Griffin, 115. 
Confederation, The Catholic, 

151, 240. 
"Cong Abbey" (M.), A.S., 

^ 53» 70. 
Congan, Abbot, 49. 
Coning (T.), A.S., 49. 
Coniry, (Wm.), A.S., 41. 
Connaugnt, Invasion of, 156. 
Connaught, King Alfred in, 

53- 
Connor (A.)» A.S., 44. 
Constance, ConncU of, 162. 
Constancy of the Irish, 177. 
Constantine, Geoffrey de, 64* 
Continent, Irish M!onks on 

the» 25. 



Conventuals, The, 173. 
Conwall (Do.), A.S., 46. 
Coote, Sir Charles, 82, 246. 
Corbally (T.), A.S., 49. 
Corban, St., 157. 
Corbe of O'Mollaggie (Co.), 

C.R., 68. 
Corcoran, Abbot, 50. 
Corcumroe, (CL), Cis., 130, 

142. 
Cordeliers, The, 173. 
Cork, (Co.), A.S., 47. 

„ „ Aug. 218. 

„ „ Ben. 1 14> 

„ „ Car. 241. 

„ „ C.R., 68. 

„ „ Dom. 153. 

„ „ Fran., 188. 

„ „ K.H., 99. 

„ „ Tri., 106, 109. 
Cormac of Desmond, King, 68. 
Cormac, St., 36, 38, 40. 
Comelli, St., 20. 
Corpreus, St., 45. 
Corrock (Ty.), Fran., 219. 
Courcy, Edmund, Bishop, 

114, 184. 
Courcy, Sir John de, 83, iii, 

134, 205, 218. 
Court (S.), Fran., 201. 
Cradbhgrellain (S.), A.S., 55. 
Cradock, Roger, 186. 
Cranley, Thomas, Archbishop, 

231. 
Crevebane (G.), Car., 244. 
Crevelea (L.), Fran., 202. 
Crofton, William, 78. 
Cromwell at Drogheda, 215. 
Cronan, St., 43, 47, 48. 
Crooke (W.), K.H., 96. 
Cross Bearers, The, loo. 
Cross (M.), C.R., 70. 
Crossmolina (Me.), A.S., 53. 
Crouched Friars, The, 100. 
Cuangus, St., 37. 
" Culdees," The, 43. 
Cumber (Do.), Cis., 134. 
Cumineus, St., 44. 
Cumin, Tliomas, 130. 
Curraghmore, Baron, 96. 

Dabeoch, St., 45. 
Dageus, St. 54. 



276 



INDEX. 



Dagobert, King, at Slane» 33. 

39. 
Daltons, The, 128. 
Dame Street, Dablin, 71. 
Damian, St. Peter, 57. 
Danes, The, in Ireland, 12, 

34, ^7, 42, 67, 92. 
Danes, Conversion of the, 62. 

67, 125. 
Darerca, St., 56. 
Darinis (We.), A.S., 35. 
Davis, Sir John, 209, 238. 
De Barrys, The, 1 16, 139, 242. 
De Burgos, The, 141, 163, 

194, 221, 244. 
Decer, John le, 147, 174. 
Declan, St., 17, 18, 47. 
Dagan, St., 34. 
Deir, Brother, 223. 
Deirg, (Lo.), C.R., 65. 
Delalioyde, Father Henry, 201 
Delahoydes, The, 179. 
De Lacys, The, 39, 64, 80, 98, 

102, 115, 126, 205. 
Delamers, The, 89, 175. 
Delvin, Prince of, 128. 
De Magio (L.), Cis., 139. 
Derane (R.), C.R., 70, 225. 
Dermagh (Ky.), A.S., 34. 
Dermot, St., 38. 
Derry (D.), A.S., 44. 
„ „ Cis., 143. 
„ „ Fran., 209. 
Dervorgil, 92, 127. 
Desert, A, Carmelite, 21. 
Desertanos (Q.), A«S., ^8. 
Desert-Cheandubhain (We.), 

A.S., 34. 
Desert Odran (Q.), A.S., 38. 
Desertola (Me.), A.S., 26, 41. 
Desmonds, The, 183, 186, 189. 
Devenish Island (F.), A.S., 46. 
Devereux, Sir John, 106, 177. 
Dichnl, St., 42, 49. 
Dichulla, St., 234. 
Dickson, William, 234. 
Diermit, St., 41. 
Dillon, Father Dominic, 150, 

146. 
Dillon, Father Gerald, 156. 
Dillons, The, 65, 103, 239. 
Diseart-Fulertach (Ki.), A.S., 
33- 



Diseart-Kellach, (A.), C.R., 

DisertchuiUin (Q.), A.S. (See 

Mundrehid). 
Dizertoghill (D.), A.S., 45. 
Documents, Loss of, 161. 
Documents, Discovery of, 247, 
Dochonna, St., 53. 
Dogherty, ComeUus, 174. 
Doiremacaidmecan, (Me.), 

A.S., 41. 
Doiremelle (Kg.), A.S., 56. 
Dominic, St., 144. 

„ „ Statue of, 153. 
Dominicans, The, 144. 
Domnach-Braoin (A.), A.S., 

44. 
Domnachmore (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Domnachmore (T.), A.S., 49. 
Domnachmore (Ty.), A.S., 46, 
Domnachmore (W.), A.S., 47. 
Domnach-Tola (D.), A.S., 45. 
Domnaghmore-Maghseola (R) 

A.S., 55. , 
Domnach-Sarige (Me.), A.S.» 

41- 
Domnan, St., 49. 
Donaghtortain (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Donald, son of Aodh, 53. 
Donald, Tadhg, Father, 185. 
Donard (We)., A.S., 34. 
Donatus, Archbishop, 59, 201. 
Donegal (Do.), Fran., 207, 
Donnellan, Roger, 195. 
Donogh-Patrick (Me.), A.S.» 

39. 
Dorotheus, Abbot, 6. 
Dousk (Ky.), Cis, 137, 138. 
Down (We.), C.R., 62. 
Down (Dn.), Cis., 143. 
„ „ Fran., 205. 
„ „ Trin., 103. 
DownPatrick (Dn.), Ben., iii 
Drajrton, Henry, 103. 
Drieburg (Scot.), A.S., 79. 
Drogheda (Lh. and Me.), 148. 

Aug. 215. 

Car. 235. 

D.C., 236. 

Dom. 148, 168. 

Fran., 203. 

Tri., 103. 
Dromcarr (Lh.), A.S., 42. 



INDEX. 



277 



Diomoorcothri (Me.)» A.S., 41. 
Dromchaoinchellaigh (We.)» 

A.S., 35. 
Dromfion (Lh.)> A.S., 42. 
Diomlommon (Ca.), A.S., 46. 
Drommactubla (Me.)» A.S., 

41. 
Dromore (Dn.), A.S., 43. 

„ „ Fran. 206. 
Druids, The, 6, 7, 8, 15. 
Dniimchain (WL), A.S., 33. 
Druimcheo (Lo.)> A.S., 56. 
Druimconaid (R.), Cis., 131 
Druimcuillin (Kg.), A.S., 36. 
Dniimdubhain (Ty.), A.S., 56. 
Druimmea, (S.)» A.S., 54, 
Drumceat, 45. 
Dnimclifie (S.), A.S., 55. 
DrumcoUumb (S.)> A.S., 55. 
Drumcree (Wm.), A.S., 41. 
Drumfeartin (Wm.), A.S., 41, 
Dnimfinchoil (Me.), A.S.41. 
Drumlahan (C), A.S., 46. 
Drumlias (L.), A.S., 55. 
Drumrany (Wm.), A.S., 41. 
Drumrath (S.), A.S., 55. 
Drumreilgeach (Wm.), A.S., 

41. 
Dnimshallon (Lh.), A.S., 42. 
Drumthuoma (Do.), A.S., 45. 
Duach, St., 42. 
Dublin (Du.), A.S., 31. 

„ Aug. 226. 

„ Ben. 116. 

„ Car. 231, 249. 

„ Cis., 125. 

„ C.R., 58. 

„ D.C., 232. 

„ Dom. 146. 

„ Fran., 173. 

„ Tri. loi. 
Duleek (Me.). A.S., 39. 
Duleek (Me.), C.R., 64. 
Dunmore (G.), Aug., 221. 
Dunaverragh, 132. 
Dunboe (D.), A.S., 45. 
Dunbrody, (We.), Cis., 136. 
Dun, Bryan Catha, 134. 
Dundalk, (Lh.), Fran., 204. 

„ „ Tri., 102, 109. 
Dnndrum (Dn.), K.H., 99. 
Dnndrynan (G.), A.S., 52. 
Dungannon (Ty.), Fran., 209. 



Dungarvan (W.), A.S., 47. 
Dnngarvan (W.), Aug., 217. 
Dungiven (D.), C.R., 67. 
Dunmore (G.), Aug., 221. 
Dun Scotus, 172, 205. 
Dunshaughlin (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Durrow (Kg.), A.S., 36. 
Dysart (Wm.), A.S., 40. 
„ „ Fran., 176. 

Eachenach (S.), A.S., 55. 
Eagan, Cormac, 155. 
"Earls, The flight of the," 

241. 
Ea^macneire (R.), A.S., 53. 
Echod, St., 42. 
Education, the Monks and, 

264. 
Edward I., King, 89, 174, 

186, 231. 252. 
Edward II., King, 89, 90, 114, 

147. 153- 
Edward III., King, 133, 231, 

233» 238. 
Edward IV., King, 07. 
Edward of the Kings, Fr.» 

232. 
Egypt, The Deserts of, 6. 
Elias, The Prophet, 2, 13, 16, 

227. 
Elitheria (M.), A.S., 52, 59, 

176. 
Elizabeth, Queen, and the 

Monks, 59, 91, 176, 187, 

216, 247, 252. 
Elphin (R.), Fran., 200. 
Emleachfada (S.), A.S., 55. 
Emly (T.), A.S., 48. 
*' Emparkment," Effects of, 

256. 
EnachMidbrenin (T.), A.S., 

49- 
I Enaghdune ( See A nnaghdown) 
„ A.S., 56. 
„ C.R., 70. 
„ Fran., 198. 
„ Nor. 74. 
Enda, St.,' 26, 50. 
Ennis (CL), Fran., 187. 
Enniscorthy (We.), C.R., 62. 
i „ „ Fran., 178. 
t Enniskerry (CL), A.S., 50. 
' Enachard (S.), A.S., 55. 



278 



INDEX. 



Ere, St., 27, 39. 
Ercladus, St., 44* 
Erew, (M.), Aug., 223. 
Ematiensis (Lh.), A«S., 42 ; 

or Cluain-broain (Lh.), 

42. 
Emene, St., 45. 
Erykelot, Roger de, 91. 
Erynach-Carrig (Dn.), Ben., 

"3- 
Esmond, Father John, 177. 
Etchen, St. 40. 
Eugene IV., Pope, 156, 179, 

229. 
Euphrosia, St., 249. 
Euphrosyne, St., 249. 
Eustace, Father James, 136. 
Eustace, Family, 164, 180. 
Eustachius, St., 164. 
Eva MacMurrough, 93. 
Evin, St. 34, 54. 
Evodius, The Abbot, 113. 

Fahan (Do), A.S., 45. 
Fairgney (Lo.), A.S., 41. 
Faithlaca, St., 54. 
Fallig (G.), Fran., 199. 
Fallon, Most Rev. Dr., 51. 
Fallons, The "noble," 175. 
Fanchea, St., 56. 
Fanegarag (Do.), Fran., 209. 
Faugner, A.S., 56. 
Farrenenamannagh (Wm.), 

A.S., 41. 
Farren-Macheigkese (Wm), 

A.d., 4^* 

" Fathers oi the Desert," The, 

S» 9- 
" Fathers of Erin," The, 28. 
Feartocherbain (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Fechin, St., 40, 55, 78. 
Fedhmid, St., 46. 
Feenah (L.),A.S., 55. 
Feipo, Francis de, 217. 
Felix oi Valois, 100. 
Feradach, St., 44. 
Ferall, Geoffry, 174. 
Ferfugillus, St., 32. 
Fermoy (Co.),Cis., 138. 
Ferns, (Wi.)„ C.R. 62. 
Fcrrall, Walter, Fr., 189. 
Fertagh, (Kk)., C.R., 63. 
Fethard (T.), Aug., 219. 



Fethard, WiUiam, 140. 
Feudal Sjrstem, The, 236. 
Fiachra, St., 45. 
Fiddown (Kg.), A.S., 34. 
Fidhard (G,)» A.S., 52. 
Fidhard (R.), A.S., 55. 
Fina, Lafair, 76, 
Finbarr, St., 47, 68. 
Finglass, (Du.), A.S., 31. 
Fiimian, St., 23 sg., 40, 43, 45. 
Fintan-Munna, St., 34. 
Fintan, St., 37, 38. 
Fionnagh, (We.), A.S., 33. 
Fisheries, The Shannon, 130. 
Fitzadlem, Wm., 112. 
Fitzantony, Thos., 63. 
FitzDominick, Family, 22a 
FitzGerald, Myler, 61. 
FitzGibbon, Gerald Fr., 153 
FitzMaurice, Gerald, 179, 193. 
Fitznorman, Ehas, 67. 
FitzRichard, John, 97. 
FitzRobert, Geoffry, 63. 
FitzRoger, Wm., 88. 
FitzSimon, Fr. Edmond, 205. 
FitzStephen, James Lynch, 

158. 
FitzWalter, Theobald, 130, 

166. 
Flann, St., 44. 
Flann, Mochellach, 49. 
Fleming, Maurice le, 138. 
Fleming, Fr. Walter, 163. 
Florentius, St., 31. 
Foelchu, St., 31. 
Fore, (Wm.), A.S., 40. 

„ „ Ben. 115. 
Fosterage, The System ol, 

257. 
" Four Masters, The," 39, 

208. 
" Four Beautiful Saints of 

Ireland, The," 52. 
Founders, The Twelve Holy, 



1305^. 

Brother David, 153. 
Francis, St. and his Order, 



Fox, Brother David, 153. 



170 sg., 191 sq, 
Frankfort (Kg.), Car., 239. 
•• Freeman of Galway," A, 84. 
Freshford (Kk.), A,S., S«# 

Achadur, 38. 
Friars, Minor, The, 172. 



INDEX. 



279 



Friars, The Grey, 173. 
Friaxy, Monastic foundation 

so called, 117. 
Fulbum, Family, 96. 
Fulda Abbey, 50. 
Fuerty, 26, 54. 
Fumess Abbey, 128. 
Fursey, St., 52. 
Fynchin, Wm. de, 96. 

Galbally, (Li.), Fran. 188, 192. 
Gallan, (Kg.), A.S., 36. 
Galway, Poor Clares of, 210. 
Galway, A.S., 52. 

Auj^., 220, 226. 

D.C., 244. 

Dom., 158. 

Fran., 194, 210. 

K.H., 99. 

Nor., 82. 

Tri., 106, 109. 
Garbhan, St., 47. 
Gardener, Monastic, The, 1 19. 
Garton (Do.), A,S., 46, 139. 
Geashill, Sjmod of, 35. 
Gelasius, Abp., 127. 
Gerald, St., 52. 
Gervagh-Kerin (Ty.), Fran., 

209. 
Gibbon, Lady Margaret, 197, 
Gibellan, Maurice, the Poet, 

74. 
Gilbert, St. Order of, 80. 
Giolla, The Abbot, 68, 74. 
Glandy, (C), Cis., 140. 
Glanore (Co.), Dom. 153. 
Glasscarrig (We.), Ben., 115. 
Glassmore (Du)., A.S., 32. 
Glassnoiden, (KL), A.S., 32. 
Glastonbury, A.S., 114. 
Gleanussen (Q.), A.S., 38. 
Glenarm, (A.), Fran., 205. 
Glendallain (S.), A.S., 55. 
Glendalough (WL), A.S., 

54, 59. 
Glenmalure, Battle of, 88. 
Goar, St., 44. 
Gobnata, St., 56. 
Gobhan, St., 35. 
Gola (F.), Dom., 160. 
Goodbom (A.), Nor., 79. 
Goran, Chades Fr., 195. 
Gormogan (G.), C.R., 70. 



33. 



Gosachus, St., 132. 

Gotti, His Em. Cardinal, 247. 

Grace-Dieu, 71. 

Grace Family^ The, 151. 

Grange-Nolven (Ki.), A.S. 33. 

Graignemanach (Kk.), Cis. 

" Granu-Weal," 244, 
Graney (KL;, A.S., 71 
Gray, Fr. Bernard, 208. 
Gray Abbey (Dn.), Cis., 134. 
Great-Conall (Ki.) C.R., 61. 
Greater Monasteries,The, 261 
Gregory, Pope St, 22. 
Grelacdinacl^ (R.), Cis., 131. 
Grenville, Geoffrey de, 165. 
Grey, Lord, 112. 
Guadaloupe, John of, 173. 
Guest-Master, Duties of the, 
49. 

Hacket Abbey (T.), Fran., 
190. 

Hanly, Fr. John, 185. 

Harding, Blessed Stephen, 
124. 

Hare Island (Wm.), A.S., 41. 

Harrington, Sir Henry, 98, 
105. 

Harrison, Robert, 76, 78. 

Harvey, Family, Tlie, 68. 

Henry II., King, 92. 

Henry III., King, 174, 183. 

Henry VII., King, 199, 209. 

Henry VIIL, King, 108, 112, 
214, 252 sq, 

Henry de Londres, Arch- 
bishop, 61. 

Henry, The Great, of France, 

87. 
Herbert, Nicholas, 181. 
Hereford, Adam de, 62. 
Hereford, William, 97. 
Herelewin, Bishop, 136. 
Hermitage, A., 117. 
Hermits of St. Augustin, The, 

212 sq. 
Hermits of Carmel, The, 228. 
Higgins, Fr. Peter, 148. 
Hilary's, St., 49. 
Hillfothuir (Do.), Cis., 135. 
Hinrechan, Fr. Daniel, 193. 
Hoartown (We.), Car., 238. 



28o 



INDEX. 



HoU3rwood (Do.)» Fran., 206. 
HolmPatrick (Du.), C.R., 61. 
Holy Cross (T.)» Cis., 140. 
Holy Cross, Earl of, 140. 
Holy Cross, Relic of the, 140. 
Honorius III., Pope, 145, 

172. 
HorarisL Monastic, 121. 
Hore, Abbey, (T.), Cis., 139. 
Hospital, An, 117. 
Hospital of St. Stephen 

(Du.), 99. 
Hospital, Styne (Du.), 99. 
Hospital, Alien's (Du.), 99. 
Hospitaller, Knights, 86 sq. 
" House of God,^' The, 64. 
" Houses of Hospitality," 

The, 222. 
Hy-Fiachra, St. Colman of, 

34, 51- 

Ibar, St., 33, 
Ibawn, Lord, 184. 
Iconoclasts of the i6th Cen., 

60. 
Imar, Archbishop, 57, 65. 
Imay, (G.), A.S., 52. 
Immaculate Conception, The, 

228. 
Imurilly, John, Bishop, 139. 
Inchmacnehn (R.), A.S., 53, 

55. 
Inchmean (M.), A.S., 116. 
Inchmean (R.), Ben., 115. 
Inchmore (Lo.), A.S., 3$. 
Inchmore (R.), A.S., 115. 
Inchnameobh, (T.), A.S., 49. 
Inchrie (CL), Cis., 139. 
Inchycronane (CL), C.R., 70. 
Indennen (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Infirmarian, Duties of the, 

119. 
Inisaingan, A.S. (Lo.), 41, 

„ „ C.R., 65. 
Inis-an-Ghoill (G.), A.S., 52. 
Inisanlaoi (CL), A.S., 50. 
Inisbeg (We.), A.S., 35. 
Inisbonn (Lo.), A.S., 41, 53. 
Inisboyne, (WL), A.S., 3.4 
Iniscael, (Do.), A.S., 46. 
Iniscatha (CL), A.S., 48. 
Inisclothran (Lo.), A.S., 41. 
Inisdamhle (W.), A.S., 47. 



Iniseo (F.), A.S., 46. 
Inisfael (We.), A.S., 35. 
Inisfallen (K.), A.S., 49. 
Inisfidhe (CL), A.S., 50. 
Inisffluaire (Mo.), A.S., 53.' 
Iniskeltra, (CL), A.S., 185. 
Iniskieran (Co.), Fran., 185. 
Inislaunacht (T.), A.S., 49, 
„ „ Cis., 140. 

„ ,, v^.xv., Oo. 

Inismacsaint (F.), A.S., 46. 
Inismore (S.), A.S., 41. 
Inismnrray (S.), A.S., 55. 
Inisna -^annanagh, (Ar.), C.R«, 

69. 
Inisowen, (Dn.), A.S., 45. 
InisPatrick, (Du.), C.R., 61. 
Inispict (Co.), A.S., 47. 
Inisquin, (C), A.S., 52. 
Inisrocha (F.), A.S., 46 
InisSamer (D.), A.S., 46. 
Inistioge (Kk.), C.R., 63. 
Inistymon (CL), A.S., 50. 
Inniscarra (Co.), A.S., 47. 
InnisCourcy (Dn.), Cis., 134. 
Innisken-Deghadh (Lh.), 

A.S., 42. 
Innismochda (Lh.), A.S., 42. 
Innistormor (M.), Aug., 223. 
Innisvachthuir (Wm.), A.S., 

41. 
Innocent III., Pope, 100, 

144. 
Innocent IV. .'Pope, 206, 229. 
Innocent VIII., Pope, 158, 

162. 
Inns, Origin of, in Ireland* 

222. 
Inslua, (T.), A.S., 49. 
Invasion, The Anglo- 
Norman, 12, 106, 261. 
Invasion, The Danish, 12, 

261. 
Inverdaoile (We.), A.S., 34. 
Envemaile, (Do.), Fran. 208. 
Ireland's Eye, (Du.), A.S., 32. 
Ireland, Monastic Annals of» 

146. 
Ireland, "The Mirror" of, 

183. 
Ireland's " Heritage," 268. 
Ireton at Limerick, 151. 
Irish, The ** Mere," 89, 127. 



INDEX. 



281 



Irish Church, The (A.D. 

ii85.)» 129. 
Irrelagh, (K.), Fran., 192. 
Isidore's, St., Rome, 210. 
*' Island of Saints," The, 56, 

66. 
Isles of Arran, (G.)» Fran., 

199. 
Ita, St., 27, Z7^ 56. 



" Jacobins," The, 145. 
James of Castlemartin, 

Abbot, 128. 
James II., at Dublin, King, 

116. 
^ amestown (Kg.), Fran. 203. 
\ anitor. Duties of the, 120. 
' ansenism. Effects of, 125. 
arlath, St., 28, 50, 74. 
erpoint (Kk.)» Cis., 138. 
erusalem, the Kingdom of, 
86. 
John, in Ireland, King, 81, 

I30» 155. 
ohn. Bishop, 75. 
ohn. The Knight, 99. 
ohn of Matha, St., 100. 
ohn XXII., Pope, 153, 190, 

234. 
John XXIII., Pope, 162, 166, 

223. 
John Bon, Blessed, 213. 
John, Patriarch of Jerusalem, 

4, 228. 
John of the Cross, St., 24, 

230. 
^ bnas. The Monk, 26. 
Jordan, Fr. Fulgentius, 221. 
^ byce, Cardinal Thomas, 149. 
Joyce, Fr. Walter, 119, 149. 



Kearin, Fr. Patrick, 205. 
Kellach, St., 44. 
Kells, (Kk.), C.R., 63. 
KeUs (Me.), A.S., 44- 

„ „ Trin. 102. 
Kelly, Fr. William, 232. 
Kelly, Ralph, Archbishop, 

233. 
Kenalehan (G.), Fran., 198. 
Kennard (Wm.), A.S., 49. 
Kenny, St., 31. 
Kerry, Lord, 91, 193. 



Kerry, Prince of, 193. 
Kevin, St., 27, 33, 41, 54. 
Kienan, St., 39. 
Kieran, St., 35, 41, 44, 56, 63. 
KObarron (D.), A.S., 46. 
KUbarry (D.), K.H., 96. 
Kilbeggan (Wm.), Cis., 128. 
Kilboedan (A.), A.S., 44. 
Killbought (G.), Fran., 200. 
Kilbrenan (G.), A.S., 52. 
Kilcarrajgh, (CI.), A.S., 56. 
Kilchuilin (Co.), A.S., 47. 
Kilcholpa (Dn.), A.S., 44. 
Kilcolgan (G.), A.S., 52. 
Kilcomin (T.), Ben., 114. 
Kilconnell (G.), A.S., 51. 
„ „ Fran., 195. 
Kilcorban (G.), Dom., 157. 

„ Fran., 200. 
"Kilcormic Missal," The, 

239. 
Kilcrea, (C), Fran., 183. 
Kilcreunata (G.), A.S., 116. 
Kilcullen (Ki.), Fran., 179. 
Kildare Family, The, 107, 

180, 189, 219. 
Kildare (Ki.), A.S., 29, 32, 55. 

„ „ Car., 232. 

„ „ Fran., 179. 
Kildimma, (Li.), A.S., 48. 
KUfenora, 51, 142. 
Kilfursa (G.), A.S., 52. 
Kilian, St., 35. 
Kilicran (M.), A.S., 53. 
KiUta (Li.), A.S., 56. 
KUkenny-West (Wm.), Trin., 

103, 109. 
Kilkenny (Kk.), C.R., 34, 6^, 
„ „ „ D.C., 240. 
„ „ „ Dom., 150. 
„ „ „ Fran., 174. 
Killabbhan, (Me.), A.S., 40. 
Killachad (Co.), A.S., 46. 
Killagally (Kg.), A.S., 38. 
Killagh (K.), Aug., 218. 

C.R., 69. 
KiUaghy (Kk.), A.S.. 34. 
Killailbe (Me.), A.S., 41. 
KiUaird (Wi.), A.S., 34. 
Killala (M.), A.S., 53. 
Killalog (CI.), A.S., 50. 
Killamery (Kk.), A.S., 34. 
Killanley (S.), A.S., 55. 



282 



INDEX. 



KiUaraght (S.), A.S., 55. 
Killare (Wm.). A.S., 41. 
Killaracht (R.), A.S., 56. 
Killarge, (C), K.H., 97. 
Killamey, 192. 
Killbeacan (Co.)> A.S., 47. 
Killbixy (Wm.), A.S,, 41. 
Killbiide (M.), A.S., 53. 
Killcaipre (S.), A.S.» 55. 
Killcleeheen (Kk.), A.S., 71. 
Killchule (R.), A.S., 55. 
Killcloghan (We.), K.H., 98. 
Killclogher (Lh.), A.S.» 42. 
KiUcolgan (Kg.), A.S., 38. 
Killcolly (T.), Cis., 141. 
Killcoman (M.), A.S., 53. 
Killcoonagh (S.), A.S., 52. 
Killcruimther (Co.)» A.S., 47. 
Killdareis (L.), A.S., 55. 
Killdumagloin (Me.), A.S., 41. 
KiUdelge (Q.), A.S., 38. 
Killeaspuicbolcain (An.), 

Killebbane (Q.), A.S., 3B. 
KiUeen (Me.), A.S., 41. 
KiUeigh (Kg.), A.S., 36, 71. 

„ „ Fran., 180. 
Killermagh (Q.), A.S., 38. 
KiUfaile (G.), A.S., 52. 
KiMachna (Li.), A.S., 48. 
Killfian (M.), A.S., 53. 
Killfinan (M.), A.S., 53. 
Killfoelan (Q.), A.S., 38. 
Killfortkem (C), A-S., 34. 
Killfobrick (CL), A.S. 50. 
Killgharban (S.), A.S., 55. 
Killglais (Lo.), A.S., 41. 
Killgorman (Wi.), A.S., 34. 
KillhiU (Ki.), K.H., 95. 
KiUhuacUech (Kg.), A.S., 38. 
Killiadhuin, (Kg.), A.S., 56. 
KiUibegs (Ki.), K.H., 95. 

„ „ Fran, 209. 

Killiedain (Kg.), A.S., 38. 
KiUin (M.), A.S., 53. 
Killinboynan (W.), A.S., 47. 
Killiney (M.), Fran., 202. 
Killine-Bondina, (G.), Fran., 

2CX). 

Killinenallah (T.), Fran., 192. 
Killinmore (Lo.), A.S., 41. 
Killiny (Ty.), A.S., 46. 
Killmacdara (G.), A.S., 52. 



Killmacoen (S.), A.S., 55. 
Killmallock (Li.), A.S., 48* 

218. 
Killmallock (LL), Dom., 153. 
Killmanagh (Kk.), A.S., 34. 
Killmichael (Wm.), Fran., 

176. 
Killmoremoyle (M.), A.S., 53. 
KiUmore (R.), C.R., 70. 
Killmorearadthire (T.), A.S., 

49. 
KiUnagarvan (M.), A.S., 53. 
KiUnaiUe (F.), A.S., 55. 
Killnamanagh (S.), A.S., 55. 
KiUnaningean (WL), A.S., 34. 
Killnatrinode (M.), A.S., 53. 
Killnamahbhan (Co.), A.S., 

47. 
Killodonnell (Do.), Fran., 

209. 
Killoen (CL), A.S., 50. 
KiUoebhain (G.), A.S., 52. 
Killomy (R.), A.S., 55. 
Killossy (Ki.), A.S., 32. 
KiUpatrick (M.), A.S., 53. 
Killphian (K.), A.S., 34. 
Killratha (U.), A.S., 48. 
Killroe (M.), A.S., 53. 
KiUsaran (Lh.), K.H., 95. 
KiUschire (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Killshaglin (Du.), A.S., 32. 
Killshane (Li.), Cis., 132. 
Kilshanny (CL), A.S., 50, Cis, 

142. 
Killslieve Cuilin (Ar.), A.S., 

Killslere (Ar.), Fran., 207. 
Killteel (U.), KH., 99. 
KiUteidbil (U.), A.S., 48. 
Killtoome (Wm.), A.S., 41. 
Killuatbren (S.), A.S., 55. 
Killunche (Lh.), A.S., 42. 
Killuken (Wm.), A.S., 41. 
Killukin (R.), A.S., 55. 
Killunkart (W.), K.H., 97. 
KiUure (W.), K.H. 96. 
Kilmacduagh, (G.), A.S. 5i» 

142. 
Kilmackrenan (Do.), Fran., 

209. 
Kilmainham (Du), K.H., 88. 
Kilmainhambeg(Me.), K.H.9 

95- 



INDEX. 



283 



Kilmainbamwood (Me.)f 

K.H., 95. 
Kilmbian (Dn.), A.S., 44. 
Kilmalton (G.), A.S., 55. 
Kilmurry (G.), A.S., 52. 
Kilnais (Du.)> A.S., 32. 
Kilniisse (S.), Nor., 7S. 
Kilrushe (Ki.), CR, 61. 
KiltuUagh (R.), Fran., 200. 
Killmanagh (Kk.), A.S., 34. 
Kinalekiii (G.), K.H., 99. 
Kinsale, Barons of, 184, 218. 

„ „ (Co.), A.S., 47. 

„ „ „ Car., 242. 

„ „ „ i^.C, 242. 
Kitchener, Duties of the, 120. 
Knights Hospitaller, Order 

of, 86 if. 
Knights of Malta, The, 87. 
Knights Templar, The, 86. 
Knights of St. Lazarus, 87. 
Knights of Our Lady of 

Mount Carmel, 87. 
Knity (K5.), A.S.. 38. 
Knock (LL), C.R., 65. 
Knockmore (S.), Dom., 162. 

„ „ Car., 244* 

Knocktopher, (Kk.), Car. 239. 
Knockvicar (R.), Dom., 165. 
Kynnethin (LL), C.R., 68. 
Kynyngham, Fr. John, 254. 

Lactean, St., 36, 38. 

Lacy, Family, The, 82. 

Lagan, The, 43. 

Laidgen, St., 36. 

Lambeg (A.), Fran., 205. 

Lanfranc, 254. 

Lanthony Abbey, 39, 61, 64. 

Laserian, St., 35, 46. 

Lasren, St., 38. 

Lasre, St., 42. 

Lateran, Councils of, 104, 

138, 194- 
Latimer, Sir David de, 140. 
Latterach-Odran (T. ), A.S., 49. 
"Laura," The, 21. 
Laurence of St. Teresa, Fr., 

237- 
Leacnamanagh (M.), A.S., 53. 
Leamchuil (Q.), A.S., 38. 
Leathmore (Kg.), A.S., 37. 
Leckin (Wm.), A.S., 41. 



Legan (Co.), A.S., 47. 

Le Gros, Raymond, 106. 

Leighlin Bridge (C), Car., 237 

Leixslip (Du.), C.R., 62. 

Lemanchan (Kg.), A.S., 38. 

Lepers, Hospitals for, 140. 

Lerrha (L.), Cis., 132. 

" Lesser Houses," The, 261. 

Libba, St., 34. 

Libem, St., 40. 

Liberius, St., 53. 

Libraries, Monastic, 265. 

Lidonia, St., 56. 

Life, Monastic, in the East, 4. 

Limerick (Li.), A.S., 68, 71. 
„ „ „ Aug., 218. 

„ „ D.C. 243, 249. 
»> » ft Dom., 152. 
„ „ „ Fran., 188. 
„ „ „ Tri., 106. 

Linella (An.), A.S., 44. 

Lisduff (R.), C.R., 70. 
Lisgool, (F.), C.R., 6y. 

„ „ Fran., 209. 
Lislaghtin (K.), Fran., 193. 
Lismore, (W.), A.S., 21, 217. 
LismuUen (Me.), A.S., 71. 
Little Horton (We.), Car., 238 
Loftus, Adam, 126. 
Lombard, Simon, 216. 
Lomlay, 113. 
Loman, St., 38. 
Londonderry, (D.), Dom., 161 
Londres, Archbishop WiUiam 

de, 234. 
Longford, (L.), Dom., 167. 
Lorrah (T.), A.S., 48. 
„ „ Dom., 159. 
Loss, of MSS. and Books, 265. 
Loughcon (M.), A.S., 53, 224. 
Loughderg (Do.), A,S., 45. 
Lougheme, (Do.), A.S., 45. 
Loughkey, Annals of, 76. 
Loughkey (R.), Nor., 75. 
Loughouter, (Co.), Nor., ^B. 
Loughrea {G,j, Car., 245. 

jD.C, 249. 
Loughree, Island of, 41, 53. 
Louth (Lh.), C.R-, 42, 65. 
Louth, Earl of, 181. 
LoughskiUen (Me)., A.S., 41. 
Loyalty of the Irish to the 
Faith, 82, 178. 



284 



INDEX. 



Lubin, Fr., 213. 
Lncan (Du.), (J-R., 61. 
Lueim (Co.), A.S., 47. 
Lngaid* St., 43. 
Lusk, (Du)., A.S., 32. 
Lnxeuil, Abbey of, 25. 
Lyn (Wm.), A.S., 41. 
LynaUy (Kg.), A.S., 36. 
Lynches of Galway, The, 83^ 

210. 
Lyons, CarmeUtes of, 88. 

" Mac " The Prefix, 84. 
MacBrady, 202. 
MacBrien, Malachy, 27» 
MacCana, 79. 
MacCarmacan, 208. 
MacCarten, St., 46. 
MacCarthys, The, 183, 192. 
MacCarvii, Archbishop, 145. 
MacCongail, Fr. Roger, 206. 
MacCominde, Fr. Thos., 205, 
MacCouragh, 79. 
Macculine, St., 32. 
MacDermots, The, 130, 165. 
MacDonagh Family, The, 162. 
MacDonnells, The, 205. 
MacEgan, 197. 
MacEvelyns, The, 160. 
MacFirbi^s, 223. 
MacFlynne, Florence, 155. 
MacGeoghegan, Fr. Arthur, 

161. 
„ „ Bishop, 164. 
MacGillevider, Archbishop, 

104. 
MacGoil, Fr. Hugh, 163. 
MacGriffin, 68. 
MacHale, Archbishop, 74. 
Macheribeg (Do.), Fran., 209. 
Maclnyliss, Fr. Thady, 75. 
MacKenUf, King, 67, 113. 
MacHosa O'Hanayn, Abbot, 

54. 
MacMahon, Family, The, 71. 
MacManus, 160. 
MacMurchard, King, 59, 62, 

71. 
MacMurrough, Dermot, 92. 
MacNamaras, The, 187. 
MacReagh, Bishop, 200. 
MacTiarcain, 133. 
MacVarra, Fr. ComeHus, 206. 



Mac Ward, Fr. Fergal, 306. 
Maidoc, St., 34, 47, 48. 
Mealbrigid, St., 42. 
Madman, St., 32. 
Maenagan, St., 54. 
Magean, Honoria, 163. 
Magee, Island, 79. 
Maghbile, (Dn.), A.S., 45. 
Magheralin, (Dn.), A.S., 43. 
Maghera-Nuidhe, (We.),A.S., 

34. 
Maghinemhna (We.), A.S., 35. 
Maghseola (R.), A.S., 55. 
Magilliean (D.), A.S., 45. 
Magrath, Myler, Fr., 159, 217. 
Maguires, The, 6y. 
Malachy, Monarch of Ireland, 

43- 
Malachy, Saint, 49, 58, 61, 65, 

125. 
Manchan, St., 55. 
Manichaeans, The, 144. 
Manchen, St., 38. 
Mareschal,WiUiam, 61, 63, 98, 

137, ISO- 
Martin V. Pope, 156, 158, 167. 
Martin, Richard, 186. 
Mariscis, De, 69, 99. 
** Mary of the Gael," The, 29. 
Massarene (An), Fran., 205. 
Massingberd, 91. 
"Master of the Fabric," 

Duties of the, 118. 
Maturin Fathers, The, 100. 
Maur, St., Congregation of, 

III. 
Maure, (T.), Cis., 139. 
Mark, St., 7. 

Maynooth, (Ki.), A.S., 33. 
** Mayo of the Saxons," 52. 
MeeUck (G.), Fran., 199. 
Mel, St., 41. 
Mela, St., 56. 
Melchedor's Church, (K.), 

A.S., 49. 
Melchuo, St., 41. 
Melleray, Mount, 124. 
Mellifont (Lh.), Cis., 127. 
** Mendicant Friars," The, 

117, 148, 168, 260. 
Menoc, St., 34. 
" Mere Irish," The, 6, 125, 

130. 189- 



INDEX. 



285 



Michael's Mount, St., 49. 
Michael, Fr., O.D.C., 236. 
Midleton, (Co.)f Cis., 139. 
Milltown (Li.), Car., 243. 
* Miracles of St. Roc, The, 41. 
Mission, The Irish, (17th 

century), 238. 
Biitigation of Csmnelite Rule, 

229. 
Mobhius, St., 32. 
Mochuda, St., 20. 
Mochua, St., 32, 40. 
Mochellock, St., 48. 
Mochta, St., 23. 
Mocteus, St., 42. 
Modunn, St., 41, 43, 
Moeldubh, St., 40. 
Moel-Mochta, St., 40. 
Moeldod, St., 46., 210. 
Magilligan (D.), A.S., 45. 
Mohill, (Li.), A.S., 55. 
Molaggan, St., 47. 
Molana, (W.), A.S., 47. 
Molesme, Abbey of, 124. 
Moling, St., 35. 
MoUaga, St., 53. 
Molua, St., 22, 54. 
Monaghan (Mo.), A.S., 46. 

„ „ Fran., 210. 

Monasterboice (Lh.), A.S., 41. 
Monasterevin (KL), Gs., 126. 
Monasterevan (R.), A.S., 54. 
Monastemenagh (Li.), Cis., 

129. 
Monastemi Oriel ( K. ), A.S., 49. 
Monisteroras(Kg.), Fran., 181 
Monastic Institutions, Ancient 

Irish, 8. 
Monasticism in the Irish 

Church, 31 sq. 
Monenna, St., 56. 
" Monks of Carmel," 228. 
Monks, Church of the, 79. 

„ Glen of the, 142. 
Monkstown (Du.), Cis., 126. 
MonsPietatis (M.), Fran., 202. 
Montalembert, 26, 77. 
Monte-Maurisco, De, 136. 
Mooney, Fr., O.S.F., 186, 203, 

207. 
Moone, (Ki.), Fran., 179. 
Moore, Sir Edward, 128. 
Moran, Donagh, 156. 



Moran, James, 156. 
Moriarty, Fr. Tadhg, 160. 
Morrisk (M.), Aug., 222. 
Morton, Earl, 114. 
Mosacres, St., 32. 
MotheU, (W.), A.S., 47. 
Mounterconnught (C), A.S., 

46. 
Mountown (Du.), A.S,, 32. 
Moume, (Co.), K.H., 97. 
Moville (Dn.), A.S., 43. 
Moycosquin (D.), Cis., 135. 
Moydoe (Lo.), A.S., 41. 
Moylagh (T.), A.S., 49, 91. 
Moyle-Dichru, St., 49. 
Moyne (M.), Fran., 20. 
Muckamore (A.), A.S., 44. 
Mucknoe (M.), Aug., 225. 
Muckross (K.), Fran., 192. 
Mulkeeran, Hugh, yy. 
Mulla, St., 36. 
Mulhgan, Fr. Edmund, 136. 
Mullingar (Wm.), C.R-, 64. 

„ Dom., 154. 
Mullins (Co.), A.S., 35. 
Multifeman (Wm.), Fran., 

175- 
Munchin, St., 48. 
Mundrehid (Q.), A.S., 38. 
Mungret (li.), A.S., 47. 
Mura, St., 45. 
Munga (Kg.), A.S., 38. 
Murgenius, St., 38. ' 
Muskerry, Lord, 183. 
Mysius, Bishop, 241. 

Naas (Ki.), Aug. 217. 

„ „ C.R. 6i. 

„ „ Dom. 164* 
Naas, Baron of, 61. 
Naithfraich, St., 32. 
Nangles, The, 64, 105, 220, 

223. 
Napoleon, 87. 
Natalis, St., 35, 46. 
Nathy, St., 55. 
Navan (Me.), C.R., 64. 
Neddrum (Dn.), A.S., 43, 

„ „ Ben. 114. 
Nenagh (T.), C.R., 69. 

„ Fran., 191. 
Nennius, St., 46. 
Nerestang, 88. 



286 



INDEX. 



Nessan, St., 32, 47. 
Netterville, Archbishop, 148. 
Newry, (Dn.), Cis., 133. 
Newtown (Me.), C.R., 64. 

„ Dom., 160. 

„ Trin., 104. 
Nicholas, II., Pope, 57. 
Nicholas, V., Pope, 64, 223. 
Nicholas, Bishop, 75. 
Nicholas, " The Clerk," 215. 
Noe, St, 31. 
Nolan, Thomas, 222. 
Norah, Robert of, 71. 
Norbert, St., 7^. 
Norbertines, The, 73 sq. 
Norfolk, Allan of, 62. 
Northall, Archbishop, 231, 

240. 
Novitiate, The, 117. 
Nuadchonbhail (M.), A.S., 41. 
Nugents, The, 154, 176. 
Nunneries, Ancient Irish, 116, 
142. 

" O," The Prefix, 83. 

Obedience, Merit of, 50. 

O'Boyle, 208. 

O'Brady, 210. 

O'Brien, 68, 129, 140, 142, 

151, 181. 
O'Bruin, 180. 
Observantines, The, 173. 
O'Bugey, Fr. David, 231, 233. 
O'Byme, 175. 
O'Cahane, 67, 160. 
O'Cahill, 153. 
O'Callaghan, 218. 
O'C^nanan, 135. 
O'Carrol, 65, 127, 192. 
O'Cavanagh, 129, 138, 215. 
O'Chillian, 195. 
O'Conarchy, 133. 
O'Connor, 53, 70, 80, 116, 141, 

156, 164. 
O'Cormyn, 223. 
O'Cullan, 156. 
O'CuUenan, 7;^, 131. 
O'Cuyrke, 219. 
Odacheera (M.), A.S., 53. 
O'Daly, 131, 159, 189. 
O'Daugane, 243. 
Odder (Me.), A.S., 71. 
O'Dempsey, 63, 126. 



I O'Devany, 172, 208. 

O'Domhnvill, 76. 

O'Donnell, 132, 135, 161, 203. 

O'Donoghoe, 201. 

Odomey, (K.), Cis., 133. 

O'Dowda, 200, 223. 

Odran, 36. 

O'Driscol, 96, 185. 

O'Duillian, 182. 

O'Dubhay, 131. 

O'DuUany, 138. 

O'Farrell, 167, 181. 

Offalley. Lord, 154, 159, 179, 
217, 152. 

Offices, Monastic, 11 8. 

O'Fihiley, 194. 

O'Flaherty, 99, 157, 194. 

O'Flanagan, yy, 239. 

O'Foelan, 69, 141. 

O'Gallagher, 136. 

O'Gara, 162, 244. 

O'Gibbellan, 76. 

O'Gorman, 65. 

O'Gormogan, 70. 

O'Halleran, 82. 

O'Hanlon, 195. 

O'Hara, 20. 

O'Hedram, 135. 

O'Hely, 188, 190. 

0'Heney,i40. 

O'Higgins, 159, 164, 239. 

O'Hoissoin, 74. 

O'Hurley, 178. 

O'Howleghan, 242. 

O'KeUy, 64, 105, 165, 195, 
200. 

O'Kenna, 195. 
O'Kennedy, 191, 221. 
O'Laghtnan, 74. 
Olcan, St., 43. 
Old Leighlin, (C), A.S., 35. 

„ „ C.R., 163, 
O'Leyne, 183. 
O'Lochran, 205, 208. 
O'Loghlin, 127. 
O'Luachair (Note), 54. 
Olvin, 161. 
O'Maccain, 131. 
O'Madden, 158, 199. 
Omagh (Ty.), Fran., 209. 
O'Malchonry, 75, yy. 
O'Mally, 141, 221, 244. 
O'Malone, 128. 



INDEX. 



287 



O'Meagben, 165. 
O'Melaghlin, 71, 128. 
O'MoUoy, 129, I74» 239, 243. 
0'Moore,98, 105, 137. 
O'Moore, St, Malachy, 66, 

125. 
O'Mordha, 76. 
O'Morra, 131, 179. 
O'MuUaly, 194. 
O'Mulligan, 134. 
O'Mulrony, 188. 
O'Neilan, 182. 
O'Nial, 104. 
O'Quin, 65. 
Oran (R.), A.S., 55. 
Orders, Military, in the 

Church, 88 sq. 
O'Reilly, 78, 152, 161, 166. 
Ormonde family. The, 97, 137, 

138, 178, 185, 216, 242, 

239» 243- 
Ornaments, Church, 123. 
Orphans, The Care of, 263. 
O'Kourke, 81, 92, 127, 188, 

198. 
O'Ryan, 138. 

O'Scanlan, 103, 168, 193. 
O'Scannail, 206. 
O'Shea, 193. 
O'Sionagh, The, 37. 
Ossory (See St. Kieran.) 
Ossory, Prince of, 138. 
O'Timony, 162. 
O'Todhry, 176. 
O'Toole, St. Laurence, 58, 

60, 95. 
O'Trevir, 136. 
OTuUy, 197. 
Olaves, St. (Du.), C.R-, 59. 
Oules, Lord of, 222. 
Oveton, 1 50. 
" Ovid " of Ireland, The, 131. 

Pachomius, St. 45. 
Paganism, Last of, in Ireland, 

52. 
Palatio, Octavian de, 235. 
Pale, The Abbeys of the, 62. 
Palladius, St. 3, 228. 
Pallice (G.), Car., 244. 
Palmer, loi, 175. 
Palmerstown (Du.), A.S., 32. 
Pascal " Question," The, 42. 



Patrick, St., 13, 31, 39, 42, 60, 

III. 
Patrick of St. Brigid, Fr., 248, 
Paul II., Pope, 206. 
Paul of the uross, St., 51. 
Paul, WilUam de, 234. 
Paul of St. Ubaldus, Fr., 232. 
Peche, 61. 
Peers, Spiritual, 126, 129, 

256. 
Pembroke, the Earl of, 61, 63, 

98, 137, 150. 
Percival, Robert, 1 54. 
Persecution of the Irish faith- 
ful, 252 sq. 
Peter of the Mother of God, 

Brother, 232. 
Pettit, Stephen, 155. 

,, Ralph, 64. 
Philip the Fair of France, 90. 
PhiUp of the Blessed Trinity, 

Fr., 3, 6. 
Pierevill, 240. 
Pierstown (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Pillan, 195. 
Pippard, De, 104. 
" Pitantiarius," Duties of the, 

118. 
Pius v.. Pope, 212. 
Plague, The Black, 256. 
Plague in Ireland, The, 235. 
Plunket, 181, 203. 
Pole, Cardinal, 91, 180. 
Poor, Laws affecting the, 263. 
Poor Clares, The, 172, 210. 
Porter, Le, 174. 
Portiunculla, 149, 171. 
Portumna (G.), Dom., 158. 
Poverty, Apostolate of, 170. 
Power, 96. 

" Pojmings Act," 150. 
Preachers, Friars, The, 1445^. 
Precentor, Duties of the, 119. 
Preceptory, A, 117. 
Prendergast, De, 62, 244. 
Premonstratensians, 7^. 
Prejudice, English, Origin of, 

268. 
Printing, The Art of, 265. 
Priory, A., 117. 
Probus of Slane, 39. 
Property, Monastic, Seizure 

of, 260. 



288 



INDEX. 



Province of Irish Cannelites, 

First, 231. 
Psalter, in Ancient Irish 

Monasteries, The, 7. 
Pubbal (Ty.), Fran., 209. 
Pulcherius, St., 37, 49. 
Purcell, 68, 186. 
Puritans in Ireland, The, 217, 

235, 242, 247. 

Quaplod, Bishop, 241. 

"^ Queen of Carmel," The, 228, 

230. 
Quin (Q.), Fran., 187. 
Quinn, Fr. John, 152. 

Rachlin, (A.), A.S., 44; 
Race, The Ancient, 257. 
Ranc6, Armand Jean de, 125. 
Randon (R.), Trin., 105. 
Raphoe (Do.), A.S., 46. 
Rathaige (An.), A.S., 44. 
Rathbeg (Kg.), A.S., 38. 
Rathbran (M.), Dom., 163. 
Rathboy, (G.), C.R., 69. 
Rathcolp, (Me.), A.S., 53. 
Rathcunga (Do.), A.S., 46. 
Ratheaspuic-innic (A.), A.S.y 

44. 
Rathenen (Wm.), A.S., 40. 
Rathkeal (Li.), C.R., 68. 
Rathlibthen (Kg.), A.S., 38. 
Rathmat, (G.), A.S., 52. 
Rathmoane, (A.), A.S., 44. 
Rathmugeavnaich (D.), A.S. 

44. 
Rathmuighe, (A.), A.S., 43. 
Rathmuflen (Do.), Car., 24a 
Rathmurbuilg (A.), A.S., 44. 
Rathoath (Me), C.R., 64. 
Rathossan (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Rathsithe (A.), A.S., 44. 
Rathug, (Wm.), A.S., 40. 
Ratto(K.),A.S., 49. 
Rawson, 91. 
Recollects, The, 173. 
Red Friars, The, 100. 
Relics, Miraculous, 115. 
Religious Orders, Influence of 

the, 252, 257. 
Remorse of " The Invaders," 

82, 93. 
Revell, Sg. 



Reynagh (Kg.), A.S., 56. 

Rheban, Lord, 105. 

Rhincrew (W,), K.H., 97. 

Riddlesford, 71, 105. 

Rinuccini, Archbishop, 245. 

Roarke, 206. 

Robert, Fr., 108, 214. 

Robert, St. 124. 

Roc, St., 41, 124. 

Roches, The, 62, 138, 233, 243. 

Rochford, Brother James, 177. 

Rochfort, De, 64. 

Romanesque, Irish, 119, 123. 

Ronan, St., 42. 

Rosary, Origin of the, 145. 

Rosbercon (Ky.), Dom., 151. 

Rosbum, 76. 

Roscommon (R.), A.S., 53. 

„ „ „ Dom., 164. 

„ „ „ Fran., 200. 

„ „ „ Nor., 75. 
Roscrea (T.),A.S., 48, 124* 

„ Fran., 192. 
Roseach (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Rosmictrian (We.), A.S., 34, 

177. 
Ross, William de, 9a 
Ross, (Co.), A.S., 47. 

„ „ Aug., 215, 218. 

„ „ Tri., 109. 
Ross (G.), Fran., 198. 
Rossbenchoir, (CL), A.S., 56. 
Rosserick, (M.), Fran., 201. 
Rosserilly, (G.), Fran., 197. 
Ross-Risd, Fran., 207. 
Rossorry (F.), A.S., 56. 
Rosturic (Q.), A.S., 38. 
Rous, De, 97. 

Rowe, Fr. John, O.D.C., 240. 
Ruadan, St., 48, 78. 
Rufus of Ossory, Bishop, 63. 
Rules, Monastic, 13 sq., 228. 
Ruman, See " Virgil of 
Ireland," 38. 

Sacred Scripture, Study of, 

24 sq. 
Sacristan, Duties of the, ii8» 
Saggard, (Du.), A.S., 32. 
Saints of Ireland, Four 

Beautiful, 52. 
Saints, Threefold Order of 

Irish, II. 



INDEX. 



289 



Salisbury, The ' Countess 

Margaret, 91. 
Sancta Helena, Alexander de, 

Saran, 45. 

Sarsfield, Viscount, 221. 
Sathreginden (Do.)» A.S., 46. 
Saviour, St., 151, 239. 
Saul, (Dn.), A.S., 43. 

»f »» C.R, 65. 
Scapular, The Brown, 23a 
Scholars, The Refuge 01, S4. 
Sciences, The, 121. 
Scolls, 193. 
Scotus, Dun, 205. 
Scourges, The Three, 83. 
"Scriptorium," The, 119. 
Seanbotha (We.), A.S., 34. 
Searle, Fr. John, 231. 
Secuk^ Canons, The, 57. 
Segenius, St., 44. 
Se^tia, St., 56. 
Seir-Kieran (Kg.), A.S., 35. 
Selsker, (We.), CR,, 62. 
Senach, St., 40, 42. 
Senan, St., 41, 48. 
Senell, St. 43. 
Sexton, Fr., Stephen, 218. 
Shannon, The, 83. 
Shradufi (CL), A.S., 50. 
Shrines, 123. 
Shruel (Lo.), Cis., 132. 
Shruthair (Wi.), A.S., 34. 
Sienan, 221. 

Silence, The Virtue of, 120. 
Sillian, St., 43, 46. 
SimneU, Lambert, 128. 
Simon, Minor, 68. 
Sinchell, St., 36. 
Sinell-MacMoenach, St., 46. 
Sitric, 59, 6i. 

Sixmilebridge (LL), Dom. 152. 
Sixtus, IV., Pope, 75, 148. 
Skellig (K.), A.S., 49. 
Skerret, 78. 

Skrine (Me.), Aug., 217. 
Skrine (S.), A.S., 55. 
Slane, De, 153. 
Slane (Me.), A.S., 39. 
Slanore ((^), A.S., 78. 
Slctty (Q.), A.S., 38. 
Slushancogh (G.), Fran., 198. 
Slieve-Donard (Dn.), A.S.9 44. 



Sligo (S.), Dom., 161. 
Society, The Monks and, 266. 
Soreth, Blessed John, 229. 
Soubazo, 171. 
Spanish Armada, The, 185, 

198. 
Spenser, The Poet, 62. 
" StafE of Jesus," The, 60. 
Stafford, 177. 
Stanehurst, 232. 
" State Paper8,"i78. 
State and Monasticism, The, 

261. 
Statue of Trim, Miraculous^ 

39- 
Stellan, St., 50. 
Stigmata, The Sacred, 170. 
Stock, St. Simon, 229. 
Stoll, 164. 

Strabane (Ty.), Ftan,, 209. 
Stradbally (Q.), Fran., 179. 
Stradhailloyse (A.), Fran., 

207. 
Strade (M.), Dom., 162. 

„ „ Fran., 202. 
Strongbow, 88, 92 sq, 
Stryck, 196. 
Subiaco, no. 
Suarlech, St., 40. 
Suggdaeus, 23i, 235. 
Suppression, The, 25 1 sq. 
Supremacy Test, The, 259. 
Surrendering of Church Pro- 
perty, The, 2;9. 
St. Catherine's (Du.), C.R., 
61. 
„ Dulough's (Du.), C.R., 

32. 
„ John Baptist's, Trin., 

104. 
„ Tohnstofwn (Lo*)» K.H., 98* 
„ Laurence's, Trin., 104. 
„ Mary's of the Hill, 82. 
„ Mary's De Urso, Trin., 

103. 
„ Mary's Del Dam, 71. 
„ Olaves (Du.), C.R., 59. 
„ Saviour's, 33. 
„ Sepulchre (Du.), K.H., 

„ Taurins, A.S., 40, 115. 
„ Woolstans (Ki.), C.R., 62. 
Swords (Du.), A.S., 32. 

U 



290 



INDEX. 



S3rmcock» 149. 
Synnott* 177. 

Talbot, 214,238. 

Tallaght (Du.), A.S., 32. 

TaUon, 216. 

Tanner, Evidence o£, 254. 

Tarmoncarra (M.), A.S., 53. 

Teachnaromhan (WL), A.S., 

Teachscatin (Q.), A.S., 38. 
Teaghbaithen (Wm.), A.S., 41. 
Teaghbaithen (R.), A.S., 55. 
Teagheman (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Teaghmnnna (We.), A.S., 34. 
Teaghnanighean (R.), A.S., 5 5. 
Teaghsinche (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Teagh Saxon (G.), Fran., 198. 
Teaghtelle (Wm.), A.S., 56. 
Tearmonderbhile (M.), A.S.» 

53- 
TedgaUns, St., 36. 
Tehallen (Mo.), A.S., 46. 
Telltown, (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Temple Brigid, (Lo.), A.S., 56. 
Temple, Solomon's, S6. 
Temple-Fearta, (Ar.), A.S., 

56. 
Templar, Knights, The, 86. 
Temple House (S.), K.H., 97. 
Templemoyle, (G.), Fran., 

200. 
Templemurry (M.), A.S., 
Tempulnacaillagh (Q.), 

38. 
Teresa, St., 229. 
Teresian, Friars, The, 2- 
Termon-Fechin (Lh.), A.1 
Temoc, St., 34. 
Tertiaries, 145, 173. 
Thacineling (Kg.), Fran., 203. 
Thebaid, The, i sq. 
Thebaid, " A Second," 31. 
Theobald, Fr., 102. 
Theology, The Study of, 121. 
Thomas of Aquin, St., CoU^e 

of, 147. 
Thomas Aquinas, Fr., O.D.C. 

237* 
Thomas, St., Abbey of, 58. 
Thomas of Jesus, Yen. Fr., 10. 
Thomastown (Kk.), Dom. 

151. 






30 sq, 
»7i. 



Thomian, IKshop, 42. 
Thomback (Kk.), Dom., 151. 
Thnrles (T.), Car., 242. 
Tllnach-Fachna (Kk.), A.S., 

34. 
Ttgemacah, St., 46, 56, 63. 
Timahoe (Q.), A.S., 38. 
Times, The Penal, 204, 246. 
Timolin (KL), A.S., 71. 
Tlmoleague (Co.), Fran., 183. 
Tintcm (We.), Cis., 137. 
Tipperary (T.), Aug., 219. 
Tippert (Wm.), A.S., 40. 
Tiptoft, 207. 
Tirdaglass (T.), A.S., 47. 
Tirry, 221. 
Titles, Monastic, 118. 
Titular Sees, Irish, 241. 
Tober (Wm.), Dom., 154, 
Tobercormac (Wm.), A.S., 

41. 
Toberelly (R.), A.S., 55. 
Toberglory (Dn.), A.S., 66. 
Torington, Archbishop, 188. 
Torre-Island (Do.), A.S., 46. 
Tombeola (G.), Dom., 157, 

222. 
Tomgrany (CI.), A.S., 50. 
Toome (T.), A.S., 49. 
Towemonia (R.), Dom., 165. 
Tracton (C), Cis., 139. 
Tralee (K.), Dom., 159. 
Transplanters, The, 54, 196. 
Trappists, Order of, 124. 
Travers, 214. 
TreUck (Ty.), A.S., 46. 
Trevet (Me.), A.S., 41. 
Trim (Me.), A.S, 38. 

„ „ Dom., 165. 

,, „ Fran., 181. 
Trimly, Abbey of the Most 

Holy, 59, 75. 
Trinity College, DubUn, 59, 

243- 
Trinity Island, (R.), Nor., 75. 
Trinity, Order of the Most 

Holy, 100 sq, 
Tristemach (Wm.), C.R., 64. 
Tuam (G.), A.S., 50, 222. 

„ „ Nor., 73, 
Tuaim-Muisgraidhe (Co.), 

A.S.47. 
Tuathal, St., 44. 



INDEX. 



291 



Tuite, 132. 
Tulach (An.)» A.S., 44. 
Tulach-mhin (Co.), A.S., 47. 
Tulach-Dubglaisse (Do.)^ A.S. 

46. 
Tullagh (C), Aug., 216. 
TnDdash, (Co.), C.R., 68. 
TnUen (Me.), A.S., 41. 
TiiUy(Ki.), KH.,95. 
TnUy, Fr. Thomas, 221. 
Tnlsk (R.), Dom., 165. 
Tyrawley, 222. 
Tyrrcl, 61, 103. 

Ultan, St., 38, 41, 46. 
Uncian, The, 225. 
Universily, An Irish, 148. 
Urban III., Pope, 112. 
Urban VI., Pope, 188, 190, 

194. 
Urlare (M.), Dom., 163. 
Utlangh, 90. 

Vandalism, Modem, 197. 

Verdon, De, 103. 

Vesd, De, 179, 232. 

Vicariate, A, 117. 

Victor, St., Canons Regular, 

of, 58, 61, 67. 
^enne. Council of, 59, 86, 

88, 90, 98. 
" Vine of Carmel," The, 248. 
"Virgil," The, of Ireland, 

38. 
^^gin Mary, Abbe3rs of the, 

80, 125, 128, 132, 139. 
^^gins of Ireland, The, 55. 
Vivian, Cardinal, 58, 112. 
Voyager, The, St. Brendan, 

27. 



Wadding, Fr. Luke, 172, 186. 

Walden, Fr. Thomas, 253. 

Wales, Scholars from, 36. 

WaUop, 178. 

Walsh, 96, 151, 

Walter, Theobald, 69. 

Warrens, The, 71 

Waterford (W.), Ben, 1 14. 
„ „ C.R-, 67, 217. 
„ „ Dom., i68* 
„ „ Fran., 186. 

Waterford, Godfrey of, 152. 

Waterford, William of, i86, 

Weeme (Co.), C.R., 68. 

Well, St. Brendan's, 84. 

Wexford (We.), Aug., 216. 
„ Fran., 177. 
„ „ K.H., 98. 

Whalley Abbey (Wi.), (See 
Ballykine), 34. 

White Canons, The, 7$ sq. 

White, Edward, 210. 

White Friars, The, 88, 230. 

Wicklow (WL), Fran., 176. 

Widows, Care of, 263. 

William, Ft., 69, 240. 

WilUam, The Conqueror, 252. 

William Rufus, 252. 

Witeschan (Du.), 59. 

Wogan, 164. 

Wolf, Fr. James, 152. 

Wolsey, 254, 260. 

Woolstans, St. (Ki.), C.R., 62. 

Woodbom (A.), Nor., 78. 

Worcester, Philip of, 81, 114. 

Wycliffe, 253, 258. 

Wyclifites, 186. 

Youghal (Co.), Dom, 154. 
Fran., i82« 



The End. 



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O'Gallagher, the Martyr Bishop of Derry," "The 
Young Ireland Movement and its Historian," " The 
Rebellion of Sir Cahir O'Doherty," " The Seasons : 
A Picture of Human Life," and "«The Religious 
Education of the Young." 

" A splendidly replete storehouse of information on 
Antiquarian and Historical Subjects, with particular 
reference to the Diocese of Derry." — Irish Niws. 



IV. 

INSULA SANCTORUM ET DOCTORUM; or, Irdand's 
Ancient Schools and Scholars. 4th Edition. 
From the time of St. Patrick doVn to the Anglo- 
Norman Invasion, with Maps, etc. By the Most 
Rev. John Hbaly, D.D., LL.D., Archbishop of 
Tuam; Commissioner for the Publication of the 
Brehon Laws ; ex-Prefect of the Dunboyne Estab- 
lishment, Maynooth College, ^ew Edition, Revised 
and Enlarged. Royal 8vo. . . .. 7s. 6d. 

" The work is arranged with the comprehensive and 
lucid grasp of history that can come only out of a deep 
and intimate knowledge of the subject." — Tablet, 

THE IRISH BEFORE THE CONQUEST. 

By Lady Ferguson. Third Edition, Revised 
and Enlarged, with Maps . . . . 5s. 

" As a contribution to the early history of Ireland 
it stands unparalleled." — Irish Times. 

*' We welcome most cordially Lady Ferguson's 
delightful treatise." — Freeman's J<mmal. 

" The work is probably the best accessible to the 
general reader, which gives the traditional story of 
Ireland's greatness in the * heroic ages.' " — Scotsman. 

" Worth many dozens of new books. Admirable in 
its conception and execution." — Irish Monthly. 

" It not only repeats the facts of the ancient story, 
it endeavours to express the spirit of the andent^life." 
— Nation. 

TRIUMPHALIA Chronologica Monasterii Sancta Cnids 
in Hibemia; with the Appendix, De Cisterdensium 
' Hibemorum Viris lUustribns. 

With a Translation, Notes, and Coloured Illus- 
trations. By the late Rev. Denis Murphy, S.J., 
M.R.I.A., etc. Cloth Boards . . . . 6s. 

THE LIFE OF HUGH ROE O'DONNELL, Prince of 

Tirconnell — 1586-1602. 

Written in Irish by Lughaidh O'Clery about 
1620. Edited, with a Preface, Translation, Notes, 
and Illustrations, by the late Rev. Denis Murphy, 
S. J., M.R.I.A., Author of " Cromwell in Ireland" 
(The Irish Text is given on one page, the Translation 
on the other). Cloth Boards . . . . 6s. 

" By rendering this work accessible Father Murphy 
r*^ has done good service to students of Irish history." — 
|[J Athenaum. 



THE IRISH PEOPLE : Their Height, Form, and Strengtti. 

By Rev. Edmund Hogan, S. J., D.Litt., F.R.U.I. 
Cap 8vo, with Frontispiece. Full Cloth . , . . 2S. 6d. 

'' I never saw a finer country than Ireland, or, to 
speak my mind, a finer people " (than the Irish). — 
** Letter from Ireland by Sir Walter Scott to 
Johanna Bailie, in 1825." 

" In all times of which there is any record the Irish 
have been magnificent anthropological specimens. He 
gives their height, weight, and strength at various 
periods of history, and makes out a good case against 
those who would belittle his countrymen." — Scotsman, 

** This volume, which is dedicated to the members 
of the Gaelic League at home and abroad, is an 
enthusiastic appreciation of the physical qualities of 
the Irish Celt." — Perthshire ConsHttUional, 

THE ART OF LIFE. An Essay. 

By Frederick Charles Kolbe, D.D., of St. 
Mary's, Capetown. Crown 8vo. Cloth Boards . . 2S, 

" Dr. Kolbe throughout his work moves in the 
highest planes of philosophical and theological specu- 
lation. One can hardly recognise the hand of the 
genial editor of the South African Magazine, who chats 
so delightfully with his correspondents on the topics 
which appeal to little boys and girls. But he seems 
quite at home in this higher sphere, and to those who 
can follow him he will be quite as interesting and 
instructive. Dr. Kolbe holds that beauty is an aspect 
of the good and true — that these different notions 
represent what is fundamentally one and the same 
thing. And beauty he further holds to be a character- 
istic of the Ufe of the soul in as true a sense as it is 
attributed to the material order. The Agency which 
deliberately creates and developes beauty is called Art. 
There must, therefore, be an Art of Life, just as there 
is an Art of Sculpture, or an Art of Painting. This Art 
takes its highest form in the sphere of the supernatural. 
The Author expounds lucidly the Aristotelian doctrine of 
form, which he finds specially in harmony with the line 
of thought he is following. This is evidently a cardinal 
point of his philosophic faith." — New Ireland Review. 

RECOLLECTIONS OF TROUBLED TIMES IN IRISH 

POLITICS. 

By T. D. Sullivan. Crown 8vo. Cloth Boards. 
With Portrait . . . . . . 53. 



VL 

" Begins as far back as O'CoxmeU and the Famine, 
and is brought down to date. It is as interesting 
as we would expect from the pen of an intelligent 
observer and talented man who was in his own 
person through the period and the scenes of which 
he furnishes here the record and his impressions. 
Much that will revive in readers the memory of 
stirring events comes up vividly in every chapter, 
and it is the sort of book that once taken up one 
irresistibly follows from page to page." — Derty 
Journal. 

YOUTHFUL VERSES. 

Rev. J. J. Kbllv, D.D., P.P., Athlone. 

Cloth Boards, 2s. ; Paper, is. 

" The collection contains some fifty poems, dealing 
with a variety of subjects — ^religious, patriotic, 
historical, abstruse, in memoriam, legendary, &c. 
Throughout the work there is a fresh and earnest 
touch, which is admirably associated with refinement 
of thought, and beauty of diction. A pleasant music 
may be heard in most of the hnes, and there is often 
a swell on the grand organ of the Poet's song which 
is majestic and stirring. In a notice such as this 
which is limited to space, it is not possible to give 
anything like an adequate idea of the general trend of 
the contents. So a few headings and a few quotations 
must serve as glimmering suggestions of the great 
poetical merit which the book undoubtedly possesses, 
and in a degree not often to be met with nowada3rs 
when so much poetical work is either trashy or laboured 
out in a massive and ponderous artificiality of style 
which conceals the gracefulness of fanciful thought, and 
hushes the sound of that music which abides in all 
work which has at all the hall-mark of Parnassus 
upon it. 

** The work is very handsomely bound and is beau- 
tifully printed on first-rate paper. It is one which 
can be recommended thoroughly to readers in search 
of a good sound collection of Poems by a living Irish 
author." — WestmecUh Examiner, 

EARLY HAUNTS OF OUVER GOLDSMTIH. 

By the Very Rev. Dsan Kelly, PP., M.R.I.A. 
Crown 8 vo. Illustrated .. as«6d. 



vn. 

AN ENGUSH-IRISH DICTIONARY. 

By T. O'Neill Lane. DemySvo. Net. I2S. 6d. 

** The work seems to be very carefully prepared 
and it will be exeedingly useful to all who are en- 
gaged in the study of Irish." — Belfast News Letter » 

** An interesting introduction, the author explains 
the genesis of what promises to be a most valuable 
work."— Tttam Herald. 

** The author has taken infinite pains with his 
work, which is a very valuable addition to Gaelic 
literature." — Limerick Leader, 

" A more useful work could not find a place in 
the libraries of Irish literature, and as regards its 
thoroughness in authenticity and genuineness of 
translation, the fact that Mr. O'Neill Lane quotes 
his authorities on the Irish language is sufficient 
guarantee." — Galway Express, 

SONGS AND POEMS. 

By etff tif cttdoitHt) (Lizzie Twigg). Cloth. . . is. 6d. 

" Here is a little volume of poems that carries 
with it the joy song of unclouded youth, the soft, 
kind whispering of country breezes, the lilt of birds 
in the springtime, the perfume of summer flowers, and 
the power to increase a hundredfold the love of 
Ireland in every Irish breast. It is the first literary 
venture of a young Irish cailin, who is destined to 
win a high place in the world of letters if she follows 
the many windings of the path upon which she has 
set her foot to-day. The keynote of these songs 
and poems is the gladness of youth, its joy, its hope, 
its blessedness. Here and there a deeper note is 
struck, and the finer feelings of the heart are touched 
with an undiminished power. Religion, Love, 
Patriotism, Friendship — ^all find utterance in one 
or other of these exquisite poems, and nowhere is 
the writer represented otherwise than as one largely 
gifted with the instinct of the true poet, and with 
the true poet's love of all that is beautiful in the 
creations of the Eternal Father. Canon Sheehan 
contxibutes a beautiful introduction." — Freeman. 



mow RMAOV, Ot^omm9v», Otmth, PHomem, nmti i 

A NBW, ENLARGED, ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF 

CARMEL IN IRELAND, 

WITH A SUPPLEMENT: 

Cblaiy from tht Lcttera ol Irish MiMiooAriAt of tho 17^1 Centoxy. 

By the REV, JAMES P. RUSHE, O.D.C 
Extracts from Somb Rbtibws of thb New Editioh. 

'* We call it ' A Book for the Times ' ; for sarely the picture it pat> 
before as of the love of the Faith, and of suffering for the Faith, should 
inoite the inheritors of that Faith to brave the taunts of ignorance, and 
to despise the prevailing criminal indifference of our days in matters of 
religion." — TJu Monitor (London). 

" It surpasses our expectations ; and fully deserves the high praise 
which it has already received from those whose commendation means a 
great deal"— rA« IrUh EedenoMiical Record. 

'* Giving further interesting details as to the labours and hardships of the 
Irish Tereeian Carmelites during the 17th century."— 7A« Dublin Review. 

*' We can most cordially recommend the book to our readers." — The 
Freeman's Journal. 

** This important work, to which is added a Supplement of special 
interest."— TAe Irish Daily Independent and Daily Nation. 

''A remarkable work. The author is master of a fluent litersry 
gtyle."— TAe Irish Times. 

" A learned and interesting history." — The Seoteman, 

" Will be welcomed by many of my readers."— 7. P.*s. Weddu. 

"A solid addition to our religious and historical literature.^' — The 
Irish Monthly. 

*' Adds to the essential merits of his book a charm of lucid, uoaffected 
style of expression."— 7%« Derry Journal. 

"At once so historically useful and so eminently interesting and 
readable."- TAc Chrk ConstUution. 

'* A thoroughly interesting, well-written work."— T^ Northern Whig. 

" An ably-written narrative— evincing an undoubted faculty for the 
vivid presentation of events of past centuries." — The Publisher/ OirfeuUur. 

*'As a prize for schools, it should be much appreciated." — The 
Munster News. 

" Considerable research, and an enthusiastic industry have gone to 
the writing of the narrative."— 7*^ St. James's Oatette. 

*' An interesting Supplement throws many sidelights on the position 
of Catholics during the 17th century." — The Tablet. 

" Brings vividly before the mind the horrors of the long religious 
struggle which ravaged Ireland after the Reformation." — TSb Liverpool 
Mercury. 

'* The whole history is graphically told."— 7%e Catholic Times. 

** An absorbingly interesting work." — The Cork Examiner. 

f* The narrative evidences much research." — The Morning Leader, 

" A most interesting narrative written in a graceful historical st^le." 
— TA« Freeman* s Journal (Sydney). 

'* A deeply interesting popular history of the Order in Ireland."— 
The Aberdeen Free Press. 

" One of the most valuable additions to the publications which have 
recently appeared in connection with the religious Orders in Ireland." 
^■^ournal of the Cork Historical and Arch4»kogieal Soeiety. 

Dublin: Sxalt, Bbyxbs and Wjllkxb. 
London: Bitbhs akd Oatis, 
U.S. A. : Binzioeb Bbotkbis. 



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